Deepest Descent
by SuccubusYuri
Summary: A vision of Kingdom Hearts 3. Ventus has been freed from Sora, but a sudden betrayal from within and the return of the Unversed herald not only Xehanort's return, but old enemies for the heroes of two eras to overcome. See profile for complete summary.
1. Chapter 1  The Shores of Cocytus

The Dark Meridian. A black world, dark and depressing. Even the waters of the ocean here were black. Clouds twisted in the sky, that on any other world would have been storm clouds. But here, they were perpetually on the verge of raining, the skies themselves so bleak and depressing that even they saw no point in existence. So they hung over the Meridian bursting with lightning, wind, and rain, but never showing any of the three.

Muffled footsteps approached the ocean. The sand crushing beneath the figure's feet was a chorus only for her own ears. The air here was so dead, lacking in energy, that the sounds echoed in her own ears. It felt like she were trapped in a closet, her breathing was so tight and the sounds so close. She sometimes pushed her hands forward to make sure she wasn't in some kind of glass booth. She had been on a world similar to this. That had been a desert, full of wind and sound and now with painful memories. Compared to that world, this should have been paradise. There were trees, even though they were black and leafless, and a beautiful moon, although no matter how bright it was, it seemed to illuminate with only candlelight. But here, she sometimes felt claustrophobic from the depression.

She returned to the beach, and the lone figure sitting on the log, her only companion in this place.

"Did you enjoy your walk, Aqua?"

"It was nice to stretch my legs," the woman replied, plopping herself down on the sand and staring out across the waves. "I tried to count the seconds, but after the third time I lost my place I stopped trying, I was hoping to see how long it took me to make my way back here."

The cloaked figure did not turn to look at her, his deep voice betraying just a hint of amusement, "Perhaps an hour. Perhaps a year."

Aqua wanted to smile, but it was becoming harder and harder to take some grim humor away from her existence after she had met this stranger without a name of his own. Only on meeting him did she realize how much time has passed outside the Dark Meridian. "I hope Sora comes soon."

Only now did the cloaked man turn to face her, "He will soon, my dear. I know it."

Aqua shook her head in frustration, "You claim to not remember anything, but you're so sure that Sora will come for us."

"I know," the man apologized, "it is difficult to explain. It is disconcerting to know a boy's name yet not your own. But he has been buried in my memory so deep, that I think on my last visit to the Realm of Light, he was more important to my goals than I was."

Aqua sighed, "I know. I'm sorry."

The man nodded knowingly, "You are hurt by the powerlessness of this realm. I understand. You miss your friend, the boy, what was his name, Ven?"

"And Terra," she added.

"Ah yes," the man said, turning back to stare at the dark ocean once again.

Aqua summoned her keyblade, and examined it in her hands. Master Keeper wasn't her partner blade. She had sacrificed Stormfall to save Terra. But they had fought many enemies together since she had become trapped in the Realm of Darkness. The strange black creatures she learned from her new friend were called "Heartless". They were more powerful than the Unversed, but less menacing, as they didn't appear to have a goal and were more like animals. Several times she had considered letting them consume her, but in the end decided to fight on. As far as she knew she was the last Keyblade Master in existence. Until she heard about Sora.

_He's probably my age, now_, she thought broodingly, _I've missed so much._

Aqua heard a sound like swirling wind. She looked up at a large rock on the shore. A black portal was forming from it, and opened wide. Aqua recognized it immediately and leapt to her feet. That hole haunted her memories. A pathway of Darkness, the same kind that left her trapped here.

At first, a hand emerged, as if testing the water. By now her companion had noticed the disturbance and risen to his feet too. Aqua readied Master Keeper and assumed a fighting stance. The hand withdrew from the portal, and suddenly a cloaked figure stepped through. He was wearing the same black cloak as the stranger, a hood over his face, though he appeared much younger than her companion.

The newcomer examined his hands and feet, apparently making sure they were all there. Satisfied, he looked up at the both of them, "Ah, Master Ansem, I'm glad that old pathway still works. Things have been falling apart without Xemnas maintaining the Dark Corridors. You never know where they'll lead to now, if anywhere at all."

Aqua and her companion simply looked at each other, then back to the newcomer who had so easily entered this realm the two of them had been exiled to.

"That's you," the newcomer pointed at Aqua's cloaked companion. "You…are…Ansem the Wise, aren't you?"

Aqua's friend held his hands up helplessly, "I cannot remember my name, friend. Do you know me somehow?"

The newcomer folded his arms and lowered his head in thought, "That is definitely his voice, at least. You could say I've been working for you."

"Working for me?"

The newcomer nodded, "For a while now."

"You say my name is Ansem?"

"Indeed it is. Better than the last time you were here. You started calling yourself DiZ, what a joke that was."

"And, what is this work that you claim to have been doing for me?"

"The same work we are all doing. Opposing Xehanort."

Aqua stepped forward, feeling the fire in her blood again, "Xehanort? You know about Xehanort?" She had difficulty putting aside her hatred for the man who had not only banished her here, but possessed her friend Terra, possibly killed Ventus, and was responsible for Master Eraqus's death.

The newcomer regarded the woman with the blue hair and firey blue eyes cautiously, "You are Aqua, aren't you?"

"I am," she responded without hesitation.

"Good, in fact, great that you're both here together."

"And what about Sora?" the apparent Ansem asked.

"Ah, Sora. They will be coming for you soon."

"They?" Aqua asked.

"I'm just the advance team," the newcomer explained, "And I'm sorry to ask you both to wait a little longer. I lack the power to take others with me through the realm of Darkness anymore. Master Yensid is making preparations as we speak to bring our Army of Light together again. But I felt I would make sure to open alternative pathways in case he fails."

"If you can't bring us back why come at all?" Aqua said, disappointment ringing in her voice.

The newcomer smiled under his hood, "I've never been one to sit around and let things happen."

"You mentioned an Army of Light?" Ansem questioned him.

"Yes," the newcomer said, all hints of joking leaving his voice. "To speak plainly, Sora lacks the power to battle Xehanort in his current form. He will need the aid of all his friends if he is even to survive this task. All of the Keyblade wielders and remnants of past Wielders are being brought together to oppose Xehanort's darkness. Ventus, Terra's remnants, Master Aqua, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, and Master Yensid are all preparing for battle, as well as all of Sora's allies across the worlds."

"And who are you?" asked Ansem.

"I will be there," the newcomer responded curtly.

Aqua stepped forward, "You said, Terra's remnants…I'm afraid to ask. What does that mean?"

The cloaked man turned to her, "I will not lie to you, Master Aqua. Terra's body is still possessed by Xehanort." Aqua gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. _Even after all these years? _The man continued, "But there is a way to revive a remnant of Terra. But it will require your presence, as well as Ventus. It has happened before, on accident, with another person possessed by part of Xehanort." Even though she could not see them, Aqua could tell that the man was averting his eyes, "But that was only part of Xehanort. There are no guarantees this time."

"But there is hope?" Aqua offered hesitantly.

The man nodded, "So long as your hearts are connected."

Aqua slowly brushed a tear from her face. A muted wind blew through the beach in Dark Meridian, and she smiled, "Then he definitely will return to us. Our hearts are always together," she touched a small good luck charm on her neck fondly.

"Now," the deep voice of Ansem spoke up, "Perhaps you will be so kind as to tell us who you are?"

The man paused, as if unsure, "You'll be seeing me again," he replied, "just think of me as someone who owes you a favor." He reached his arm behind him, and the portal opened up, "As I said, I can only carry myself through this dimension anymore. It will be best for you two to stay here and wait for a proper rescue. If Yensid fails, you'll see me again, don't worry. By then, I may be strong enough to once again bring others with me." Aqua gripped her keyblade, as if readying to dash in after him, but he seemed to anticipate her feelings, "It would be in your best interest to stay here. Both of you. Master Yensid knows you're here, so once his preparations are complete, he can draw both of you back through the Realm of Light." His hidden gaze fixed on Aqua, "Neither of you may survive a second trip through this door," and with that, he stepped back, falling into the portal and melting away. Aqua sighed, and watched the doorway seal up behind him, finally letting down her guard.

"Well Aqua," Ansem said softly, "it seems our exile is coming to an end."

Aqua allowed herself a weak smile, brushing back her blue hair and looking towards the Dark Meridian's glowing full moon, the sloshing of the waves into the shoreline for the first time in her long exile finally relaxing her. They seemed to buffer the warm feeling inside her, a feeling she had until quite recently forgotten completely: hope, "I'm counting on you, Sora."

_((**Author's Note:** Consider this your final spoiler warning if you haven't played 3D There will be a lot of exposition in the next 5 chapters or so. The least reason of which is that I needed a flow-chart to explain Dream Drop Distance to my brother, who actually played Birth By Sleep. I am trying to keep this accessible to people who only ever played to Kingdom Hearts 2. So, spoilers. They be here._

_Also, I invite you to glance at my profile if I have kept your attention. There you'll find a complete story summary, mission statement, links to the feedback and input forum (voting!), and a link to RoxasTsuna, the artist who so graciously supplied the avatar for Deepest Descent.))_


	2. Chapter 2 Out Damned Spot

Dawn on the Destiny Islands was quiet. It was like most life on the islands.

_So what if it's boring here. It's my boring, now._

Riku sat on a paopu tree, admiring the ocean in the early morning. It was a time of peace, though Riku's mind was anything but peaceful. He had trouble settling down again after the past few years of frantic action. He felt like the ocean waves he saw across the sea. They were mostly still, with a gentle, predictable rhythm, but underneath was a dangerous riptide. It was violent, turbulent underneath the calm surface.

"I knew I'd find you down here," a delicate voice spoke from behind him. Riku shot up a little more aggressively than he intended, and turned to see a familiar face.

"S-Selphie! Why are you here?"

The girl with the wingtip hair examined her friend carefully, "I come here time to time, I know you always did." There was an awkward pause, Selphie shuffling her feet and averting eye contact, before speaking up again, "I wanted to ask you if you'd decided to come back to school?"

It was Riku's turn to avert his gaze, turning his head to the side and looking out across the sea, "I don't know," was the only reply he could offer.

"We all miss you," Selphie offered encouragingly, "Titus and Wakka and me. Sora and Kairi won't say it, but they miss you too."

Riku chuckled, "You all see me almost every day."

Selphie frowned at him in a half-playful manner, "You know what I mean. They want to share their lives with you, and so do we." Another long pause, "They won't tell us exactly what happened when you all disappeared. I wish you'd tell us. Maybe we could help."

Riku simply folded his arms behind his head, trying to hide his slight blush with his elbows. His shoulder suddenly felt heavy. He could feel Selphie staring at him. He could even feel the ripples in the air of her disappointment. It wasn't that he wanted to hide it all from her and his other friends. He just hadn't rehearsed a scenario in his mind that sounded like it would end well_. Hey Selphie, Wakka, Titus. Remember that time I vanished? Well it's because I decided to sacrifice my Heart to Darkness and I destroyed countless worlds and kidnapped and tortured several princesses, and almost killed Sora and Kairi. And when I got my Heart back? I ended up killing pieces of Sora. But that's all in the past, right?_ Riku felt much more comfortable leaving things at a dead silence.

"Well, I need to get ready for school," Selphie finally said, running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I'll see you later today!" Riku tried to offer some enthusiasm for her. She nodded and briskly walked back to the docks.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Riku let out a deep sigh, letting his arms hang down at his sides over either side of the tree trunk.

"I do miss the pace," he admitted quietly to himself. Suddenly he clutched his hands to his eyes, trying not to dwell on the past but finding his mind forcing his concentration back there.

_Look at what you became! You offered yourself to Darkness, and see what you became! You destroyed your home to escape it!_

Riku slammed the paopu tree with his fists, "RrraaAAAAAAAHHH!" He leapt from the tree, and punched his fists into the sand, familiar sparks, like slices of void, cracked out of the impact, which was several times wider than his fists should have made. Riku let out a shuddering breath, as guilt coursed through his body with each inhale. Gritting his teeth, he dug his fingernails into his palms. _I don't belong with them, and I know it._

His mind wandered to Sora and Kairi. The two of them always had each other, and Riku had always lived in orbit around their friendship it seemed. Sora, simple, dumb, goofy Sora, was back in school with Kairi, and living his life as if none of their journeys had truly transpired. Though Kairi had been shaken up, she seemed glad enough to have her two best friends back to let her abduction by Organization XIII bother her too much. Riku held his breath, chastising himself. _I don't want to resent my best friends_.

Riku shook his head. _No, I'm just frustrated. Sora was asleep for a year; of course he won't have as much trouble getting back to normal._

Riku slowly stood up, and walked down to the water, staring into his own reflection. _I wish Mickey's instructions were more specific…When is he going to call on us? This Second Keyblade War…_

Riku gazed into the water, as he had for so many days since his test with Sora for the Mark of Mastery, and looked deep into his own eyes in the shifting water, _Stay blue…stay blue…stay blue…_

* * *

><p>Riku wasn't the only one anxious for the coming future. Through the blackness and the pathways between the worlds, on one of those far flung destinations was an anxious king, pacing outside his Master's private chambers. Mickey scratched one of his trademark large ears.<p>

Master Yensid had been in meditation for days. It wasn't unlike him to do this, and usually upon finding his master in such a state Mickey would simply excuse himself and return in a week to try and catch him again, or leave a note if it was something urgent. Not even when Yensid acknowledged him as a fellow Master, did Mickey dare to disturb his old mentor. Yensid, for his part, had always been very gracious and not breathed a word when Mickey spent days in his library and living quarters while waiting for him to emerge, finding it all very natural.

No, what was odd this time was the timing. Riku had earned his Mark of Mastery after rescuing Sora from Xehanort's clutches. The Dark Master had intended to seize Sora as a vessel for his own use, similar to what he had done to Terra and Riku. Riku had managed to get out with his childhood friend, but just barely. Then, Yen Sid had brought Kairi to apprentice under Riku, while Yen Sid himself trained Lea in how to use his Keyblade. But just as he had brought all those forces to his tower, he had just as quickly dismissed them, in order to give himself solitude to prepare for the upcoming "reunion", as he had explained it to Mickey. Mickey's position as King of his world weighed heavily on the weak tactical position they were now in. Then again, the more Mickey thought of it, the more he had to question if splitting them up was to make them all a less tempting target for Xehanort's newly revived Organization XIII. Mickey hadn't been completely certain about what happened in Castle Oblivion, but Riku had spoken of a "replica" program. Mickey knew of the replica of Riku, but it seemed that Xehanort had not only had the one in his pocket. Every member of Organization XIII had a replica, and twelve of the Organization's members had been revived, but for some reason that none of them could fathom, there was no such copy of Roxas, Number 13. Either way, the new copies were extremely dangerous, at least as powerful as their originals, if not stronger. Mickey's only guess was that Yen Sid had calculated that, currently outnumbered two to one, Yen Sid had decided to separate for the time being until they were ready to completely gather their "Army of Light". But, even Mickey had difficulty discerning his master's intentions half the time.

"Your Majesty!" a familiar voice came from the door. Mickey turned to see Donald, his court magician, strolling towards him. Mickey had brought his two most loyal attendants this time, his Captain of the Guard, Goofy, was probably lounging around the garden at the base of the tower. But Donald spent most of his time in Yensid's library, or at least the one separate from his private study. Early on Mickey had to smack Donald away from trying to sneak into Yensid's chamber because, as he put it, all the really juicy tomes were bound to be in there.

"Donald!" Mickey stopped his pacing and walked to greet his friend.

"He hasn't come out yet?" Donald asked, eyes confusedly looking towards the door.

"Not yet."

Donald looked to his king, "Are you certain we can't just blast it open? I'm sure Master Yensid would understand-"

"Out of the question!" Mickey gave his shocked reply, "Believe me, Donald, when Master Yensid is meditating, you need to give him space."

Donald, apparently thinking Mickey didn't mean it, started to draw his wand, "We'll never know if we don't try."

Mickey seized Donald's arm and lowered it, more panic on his face than anger at being unheeded, "No no no! I have tried! You don't want to do that!"

Donald tilted his head, "You did try? When, Your Majesty?"

Mickey turned and stared out the window, his voice quiet, sullen, "Once, it must have been fifteen years ago…You don't want to know what his punishment was, but you'll never be able to look at a broom or bucket the same way again…"

"But that was a long time ago, certainly-"

Mickey spun around and shook Donald by the shoulders, his eyes wide with fear, almost hauntingly pale, so much so he looked like he belonged in Halloween Town, "Trust me, Donald, nothing in the universe is worth it!"

Donald visibly gulped, "Er, whatever you say, Your Majesty…"

Almost on cue, the large wooden door creaked open, causing the pair to turn their heads, Mickey's eyes still sunken and hollow, Donald still perplexed, to see Master Yensid emerge, his robes and hat perfectly placed as always.

The elderly wizard sat down in his seat, examining the pair with his piercing eyes as their heads silently rotated, following his movements, and when he had adjusted his robe comfortably, stared at the two, Mickey still tightly gripping Donald. The pair looked to Yensid, then their eyes shifted to each other's, then back to him. Several more seconds of silent staring passed before Yensid spoke, "What is it you need, gentlemen?"

"A-ha, Master Yensid!" Mickey exclaimed, "We've been waiting for you, or rather, I've been waiting on you, that is to say…" he spoke rather flustered still.

"What His Majesty means," Donald chimed in, "is that we were expecting some action, but now we are waiting and don't know why."

Yensid didn't seem to take any offense to Donald's curtness, "I have been meditating, trying to commune with the Heart of All Worlds, seeking guidance on the nature of the Heart," he spoke in that confident, dark timbre. Yensid always had a fierce stare, like his eyes were taken from a hawk or eagle, unsympathetic but deathly vivid and piercing. He turned this gaze squarely on Mickey, "We are about to embark on a long struggle, Mickey, and I fear in our haste to counter Xehanort, we are meddling with forces that might be beyond our skills."

Mickey very modesty put his hand over his heart in a bow, "You know that you will always have my support, Master. And we can count on Sora, Riku, and Donald's cooperation; all are skilled in magics and talents of the Heart."

Donald felt himself almost blushing at being included with the Keyblade Masters as an asset, and proudly stood to attention saluting, "That's right! Our skills will be here for your ease, Master Yensid!"

Yensid nodded, getting as close as his face ever got to a smile, "I never doubted your loyalty, either of you," he nodded first at Mickey, then Donald reverently, "But I do not believe I have impressed upon you all the dangerous nature of the path we are taking. Not even Xehanort was able to perform these spells and procedures without errors and impediments. I…must admit…" Yensid's voice lost some of its marked confidence, "I have never tested my skills against Xehanort directly, but I have always feared that he was the superior Master." Yensid's voice went back to being all business, "His experiments on Darkness and the Heart were abhorrent, but they have given him a singular insight into the nature of Light and Darkness. An insight we must replicate if we are to defeat him!"

Mickey nodded reassuringly, "We will defeat him Master. I promise."

"May I ask, Master Yensid, what's our plan going to be?" Donald asked.

Yensid nodded in acknowledgement, "Our first task will be to assemble as many Keyblade Masters as we can, those who fought Xehanort in the past. Ventus, Terra, and Master Aqua must be brought to us again. The more of them that are on our side, the greater our chances of victory!"

"Do we know where Terra's heart is, yet?" Mickey asked.

"No," Yensid shook his head, "But Terra's existence has always been the most in question. Conventional means have not revealed him to us, so we are going to retrieve Aqua and Ventus, and through them, Terra."

Donald looked terribly confused, "Your Majesty, you know where Ventus is?"

Mickey pondered it for a moment, then his expression became sympathetic, "Oh, that's right. You never met Roxas, did you?"

Donald's eyes wandered as he searched his own mind for the familiar name, "Sora's Nobody?"

Mickey nodded, "That's right. He looked like Ventus, Donald! We only just figured out why, he had Ventus' heart when he was released from Sora's body."

"Now that Roxas has finally merged with Sora completely, Ventus' heart is resting again, and can be removed. While Roxas was using it, it was impossible to detect Ventus' essence entirely." Yensid explained.

"You're going to extract Ventus from Sora…" Donald's expression grew concerned, even a little outraged, "Is that even safe?"

Yensid sighed, "Not in the slightest, I am afraid. On any other being, this would be a simple matter for a trained Keyblade Master. But Ventus' heart has been split, reformed, split, split again, and reformed…it is very dangerous to separate it from Sora."

"What happens to Sora?!" Donald shouted, losing his patience quite easily.

"Sora will be fine," Yensid reassured him, "He will still possess his own Heart."

This seemed to settle Donald down a bit, and Mickey's hand on his shoulder comforted him some, "Don't worry, Donald, I promise I won't let anything happen to Sora."

"Mickey!" boomed Yensid, "There is one task I need you to complete before we do this."

"Anything, Master."

"I need you to go to Radiant Garden…a possibly unrelated matter. Squall sent a message that as soon as Xemnas was defeated, new enemies appeared in the Radiant Garden. He claims they are not Heartless or Nobodies, but they act similarly. They may just be leftover Dream Eaters from when we opened the rift for the Mark of Mastery exam, but it's best to be sure. You can also relay to Squall and the others that they must keep an eye out for Xehanort's return. I will be sending similar messages across the worlds. When Xehanort appears, we will know it," he nodded confidently.

"Understood, Master Yensid," Mickey nodded, "come on Donald!"

Donald bowed respectfully to Yensid, then departed with his king.

Yensid stood up, and looked out the window, down at his gardens, where Goofy was sleeping. He watched Mickey and Donald meet up with him and the three wander off to their Gummi ship. "Forgive me, Mickey," he whispered quietly, satisfying only the silence of his chamber, "But this must be done."


	3. Chapter 3 A Scattered Dream

"And that doesn't include the fifteen injuries reported when they attacked the sea salt ice cream stand," Cid concluded, flipping a page on his clipboard.

Squall rubbed his forehead, "That's a dozen attacks in the past week. We can't just militarize the Garden, but at this rate we're going to need guardians on every street corner.

Cid tossed down the clipboard on a table, shaking his head and putting his hands on his hips, "Well, shit Squall, I haven't seen things ramp up this bad since those Nobodies were here."

"We're finally nearing Reconstruction, Aerith wants a celebration, we can't protect a crowd that size."

"Yeah, I know."

"Yen Sid said Mickey would be here soon," Squall mumbled, "maybe he can give us some insight into these things."

Cid traced his fingertips over other reports strewn about the war room. A new, faceless enemy had been terrorizing Radiant Garden. In less than three weeks they had become as prolific as the Nobodies, and Squall, captain of Radiant Garden's defenders, hadn't had a good day in that long. Today wasn't looking too promising either.

"Alright, well, we can at least up the patrols we have," Squall took out a map and started drawing over it in charcoal, "Tell Yuffie to…"

In a glimpse, he was distracted. A figure walking past the window drew his attention.

"Kairi?" he whispered, and headed for the door.

"Squall?" Cid asked, apparently not hearing his last word, "Tell Yuffie what?"

But the Gunblade user was already in the street, looking down the alley for the girl who had breezed past the door. He noticed her down the road a ways, in a short red dress, and sandals. He called out to her again.

"Kairi? Kairi!"

The girl paused, and turned. Squall doubted she was, her hair was a silver-grey color. But as she slowly rotated her head, he could see all of her features on her. It wasn't perfectly similar, this girl was somehow…older. Sharper, in her face than Kairi, but the resemblance was unmistakable. On seeing him, and catching his gaze in her blue eyes, she narrowed her look at him, and started walking away again.

"Wait!" Squall started down after her, but was cut off from a sudden movement to his right. One of the mystery creatures leapt at him, this one was a multi-jointed snake like creature, or maybe a dragon. Another matching menace joined it, and suddenly Squall found himself cut off from the girl with silver hair. Drawing his gunblade, he slashed at the creatures, pausing to look, seeing the girl vanish non-chalantly behind a building, seemingly unaware of the danger around her.

Squall blocked the jaws of one of the creatures with his blade, and pulled his trigger, blasting it apart into seething blackness. He delivered a few wide, sweeping slashes at the other, and similarly dispatched it. He took off down the street, and tried following the girl.

As he turned the corner, he only saw a wall of the things. Different shapes and sizes, but all with that same, black core with a rainbow patterned decoration of some kind. A veritable blockade, preventing him from reaching the girl.

"Uurrryeaahhh!" Squall spun around in time to see a rather large one, inches from his face, being impaled on Cid's spear.

"Cid! Thanks."

"Pay attention kid, what's happened?"

Squall looked through the mesh of enemies, but didn't see the grey-haired girl with the red dress, "Nothing, just…fog."

"So, about your patrols…We might need some bigger guns."

"Getting tired in your old age?" Squall smirked.

"I'm not that old, damnit!"

And with that, they rushed the mass of monsters before them.

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

Kairi shot up in her bed, breathing hard. She reached over and picked up her cell phone. She considered it for a moment, and opened her quick dials, and dialed a number.

After a few rings, "Hello?"

"Sora?"

"Kairi?" the sleepy haze in his voice masked his excitement fairly well.

"I had a terrible dream."

"It's just a dream Kairi, it won't hurt you."

"No, this was…very personal."

"Personal?"

"Like it was me, but I wasn't me. I was hurting people. Then you showed up, and I started hurting you. Then you started hurting people."

"Sounds like a nightmare," the sleep was vanishing from Sora's voice, and Kairi couldn't help but smile at the boyish wonder in his tone.

"It was. I…I don't think it was an ordinary dream."

"What makes you say that?" After a silence, "Kairi?"

"I'm not sure. It just felt real."

"Well, it's the middle of the night, I'm sure it wouldn't look good if you came over. We'll talk about it in the morning."

"Right."

"Think you can go to sleep?"

"I think so. Thank you, Sora."

"That's what I'm here for!" he said with a little too much confidence.

Kairi chuckled, "You'll be stretched pretty thin if you promise your help to everyone."

"I seem to manage." Kairi could hear him winking at her.

"Right. Good night, Sora."

"Goodnight."

* * *

><p>Yen Sid was not quite as cheery as Sora. He was preparing a passageway between his tower and the Destiny Islands for Sora, Riku, and Kairi to travel along. With the barriers restored, and Eraqus gone, it had been up to Yen Sid alone to form pathways of light that bypassed the world barriers. His methods were effective, but had to be restrung every time they were needed. It was now faster than the gummi ship. As the barriers between worlds rebuilt themselves, trips that used to be a straight line now required curving and weaving through gaps in the fabric of the barrier, or bypassing from one world to another in order to reach a third. It would probably take Mickey's return trip a day or two longer than it was to leave. He would be sure to teach everyone how to open pathways before the gummi routes sealed up completely.<p>

Two unlikely associates scurried to his study's desk. Chip and Dale saluted smartly, "Master Yen Sid! You needed us?"

"Yes, Mickey still hasn't returned from Radiant Garden, so I will require you two to travel in his stead and extend to Sora and his friends that the pathway to my world is clear."

Dale gulped, "Uh, Master Yen Sid, we are engineers, not really practiced at delivering messag-umph!" Chip's hand was at his mouth.

"We would love to take on this challenge! We'll have Sora back right away!"

As the pair scurried off, Yen Sid watched them proceed to thwap each other on the head as they exchanged remarks.

"You big dummy! You know what the King said!"

"But we're engineers!"

"Engineering isn't what it used to be since we ran out of Gummi blocks!"

"Still wasn't in the job description."

"Oh come on, we haven't seen Sora in forever."

"Oh yeah!"

Yen Sid allowed himself a quick smile. Which for Yen Sid was more, a temporary upturning of his perpetual frown. He didn't need to be feared, but he liked being feared. It had perks.

* * *

><p>Sora and Kairi were having a devil of a time finding Riku. Chip and Dale hung on their shoulders as the four split up into pairs looking for him. This morning Riku had apparently decided to break his routine and head for a change of scenery. <em>Worst timing, that guy<em>, thought Sora.

At that moment Riku was buying an orange off a street vendor. The fruit stand was run by an old lady, Ms. Treah, and Riku had taken to a friendship with the old timer. Most Islanders thought Riku's daydreaming was off, somehow an illness to be tolerated, but Treah always had a soft spot for the platinum haired boy. Though she did often warn him that ambition often ended in people disappearing from the island. Riku never knew what she meant by that, but she'd just shoo him away whenever he pressed her for details.

Riku spun his fresh orange around his arms. Little things helped him keep his reflexes up, seemed no harm in having fun while training.

"Riku!"

"Sora?" Riku turned to look up at him, then he noticed the passenger on his shoulder, "Chip? What are you doing here?"

"Master Yen Sid has summoned you!" the over-excitable chipmunk began, "King Mickey is off performing a mission for him, so he sent us in his place. We need to head to the mage tower as soon as possible!"

Riku nodded, all business, like a switch had been flipped in his brain turning off his carefree side and replacing it with the hard veteran he had played the past two years. "Kairi?"

"With Dale, looking for you still, I guess," Sora answered. He too was serious, but it was that Sora kind of serious. Sora only ever focused on the problem at hand. Riku thought long term.

Chip spun around to look down the street oh shops and stands, "Oh, there she is!" he pointed to Kairi briskly jogging down the street, Dale on her shoulder for the ride.

"Great!" Sora said, that pleasant enthusiasm that permeated his being back now that the immediate crisis had been dealt with. He and Riku ran up to greet her, making sure they were all prepared for the journey, "Guess all that's left is getting to Yen Sid's tower?"

"Master Yen Sid's portal is at the Heart of the World," Dale spoke up.

Chip nodded, "If we get there in a few hours we can leave immediately. Otherwise the opening may start to collapse."

"Guess we're headed for the little island?" Kairi offered, looking between Riku and Sora more like it was a request than a proposed plan of action.

"Yeah," Riku paused, looking at the fruit in his hand, "One moment." He dashed off to Treah's fruit stand and handed it back to her, "Ms. Treah, I don't think I'll have time to eat this today."

The old woman chuckled, taking it from him, "Well we'll just say I owe you one when you return from…wherever you're going," she winked mischievously at Sora and Kairi as they followed Riku, seeming to take no special notice of the passengers they carried.

"I hope I'm back soon enough to enjoy it."

"Take your time, I'll always be here."

"Thank you, Ms. Treah," Riku smiled, then turning to nod at his friends, the three set off for the small island.

"So it's finally time to take down Xehanort," Sora said determinedly as they all headed for the gateway.

"Hopefully," Riku added curtly.

"Any idea where we're going first?" Sora asked Chip and Dale.

"Just to the tower, after that, not even the King was told the specifics," Dale offered apologetically.

"Hopefully we'll head right into the fighting."

"Sora," Kairi softly spoke, "I know you're eager to get this over with, but I think you're forgetting…you've fought Xehanort three times already, and each time he just appears in a new incarnation, stronger and no worse for the wear. I think it's going to be a hard battle and we should make sure we're ready."

"Of course!" Sora nodded, "We'll have all our friends helping us!"

Kairi seemed to take some comfort from this, and kept on with a small smile on her face.

Riku simply pressed on, reticent and stoic. The trio approached the gateway, Yen Sid had called it a bridge of Light or something, Riku hadn't been too steady with the concept. But as they finally were ready, he turned to look over his home, biting his lip.

Sora leaned forward, trying to catch his eye, "Riku?"

Shaking his head, the older boy made a face, "I dunno, Sora...I feel like...like I'll never see it again."

Sora cast his gaze with Riku's, seeing the hills rise up on the main island, silhouetted against a colored sky. In the distance he could see a chapel, the school, and even the Mayor's house among the red-orange roofed buildings, "Really. Well I know for a fact I'll be returning."

Something inside Kairi panged at the words, but she shook her head, putting her hands on both their shoulders, "We'll all go together, right?"

Riku wasn't moving. Sora frowned, scratching his brown hair. He got an idea fairly quickly, grinning mischievously, slowly leaning into Riku's field of vision, "I'll race you?"

Riku's attention finally set to Sora, giving him that strange smile with only his eyes that Riku was capable of doing, and both rushed towards the gateway, smiling Kairi behind them, to the sound of the shot only they could hear.


	4. Chapter 4 One Born of the Heart and Dark

"And that's all we know, Your Majesty. They appear from nowhere and no matter how many we strike down, their numbers never seem affected."

Mickey nodded. He was receiving a tactical update from Squall and Yuffie about the new menace at Radiant Garden. To be more accurate, Yuffie was giving the report, Squall seemed to be lost in his own thoughts again. There was something suspiciously familiar about the way they were described, but Mickey just couldn't put his finger on it.

"And we've tripled the patrols around the Garden, but there's just no way to really combat the problem proactively," Yuffie huffed, concluding her thoughts.

"This does sound like trouble. And just as we're getting ready to strike at Xehanort…this doesn't sound like a coincidence," Mickey's brow furrowed as he thought about the implications of the two connected events.

"You really think there's a connection?"

"Well, gosh, I can't be sure. But it does seem fishy."

Yuffie nodded, "Agreed." She turned to her brooding captain, "Squall?"

"I think the King's right," Squall said softly without missing a beat, "I saw a girl who I could have sworn was Kairi the other day, and I don't want to sound paranoid but she might have been with those things."

"Kairi?"

"Yeah, only her hair was a different color and there were a few other differences. But if I didn't know any better she could have passed as a double."

Mickey became even more concerned, "It could have been Namine…"

"Namine?"

"Kairi's Nobody. But I thought she was absorbed back in The World That Never Was."

"But these weren't Nobodies. No, something isn't adding up. There's a piece missing somewhere," Squall frowned.

"Regardless," Yuffie chimed in, "If these are connected to Xehanort, Your Majesty, there's little you can do here. Perhaps you should return to Yen Sid and he'll have an idea."

Mickey nodded, "I'm already late. I hope you guys can hang on until we've got the help we need to drive this down. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

* * *

><p>Kairi was looking around in awe at Yen Sid's tower. It was her first time here and so much seemed supernatural, it was approaching a religious experience for her. Sora was rather familiar with it, and Riku had been here twice during his time with Ansem and Mickey, but he tried to help Sora give her some guide details, what little they could. Chip and Dale didn't know much more about the place than Sora or Riku did. But all small talk hushed as they approached Yen Sid's private chamber.<p>

Sora pushed, almost burst the door open, Riku rubbing his forehead and the rest cautiously entering.

"Ah, Sora, you've arrived. Riku, it is good to see you again so soon. And Kairi, I know Riku will have trained you well." He turned to regard the chipmunks, "Was there any trouble?"

"Nope! We found 'em!" Dale reported.

"Just a little hunt to find them all over the islands," Chip added.

"Good. I am pleased the trouble at Radiant Garden hasn't spread yet to the other worlds."

"Radiant Garden?!" Sora asked. Kairi looked fearful behind him, "What's happening at Radiant Garden?"

"We're not sure," Yen Sid spoke patiently, "I sent Mickey to investigate, and we are waiting on his return. But before he gets back, the four of us will complete a ritual to bring my counterpart back from the Realm of Darkness."

"Your…counterpart?" Riku asked.

Yen Sid nodded, "In all our travels between worlds, there have been few keyblade masters. When Xehanort turned to Darkness years ago, there were two groups of Keyblade wielders. My group, and those that I have trained," Yen Sid gestured to Sora and Riku demonstratively, "But there was another group. An Order of knights, who trained Keyblade wielders throughout ages past, who patrolled the worlds and fought for the Light. That was where Xehanort trained."

"Who trained Xehanort?"

"I do not know. By the time our two collectives even made contact, Xehanort's colleague Eraqus was in charge. Though Xehanort is fallen, there remains yet one Keyblade Master of their Order: Aqua."

"And, this Aqua person is in the Realm of Darkness?" Sora asked.

"The Dark Meridian, more precisely. The same realm that you and Riku were banished to in your battle with Xemnas."

Riku and Sora looked at each other momentarily, remembering their shared experience. They both had felt it would be their end, but with the help of their friends' hearts, they managed to find their way back.

"So we find this Aqua, and bring them back?"

"We won't be leaving," Yen Sid corrected Sora, "We need a connection, a spark of Light to pierce the Dark Meridian, as Kairi did for you. And so she shall do again," Yen Sid made that twisted, half frowning smile of his.

"Me?" Kairi looked around anxiously.

Yen Sid nodded, "Not only are you capable of piercing the veil most effectively, but you are the inheritor of Aqua's Keyblade."

"I am?"

"Yes. Do you remember your time at the Radiant Garden?"

Kairi shook her head, "I only have slight glimpses of memories. I remember my grandmother, and I believe what was my mother. And I see some buildings. Fountains. Nothing specific though."

"I see," Yen Sid stroked his long beard, "Rest assured, before she was trapped, Aqua chose you as her successor. As Ventus did for Sora, and Terra did for Riku."

"Wait, we were selected, too?" a confused Sora asked.

"Indeed. It is, in a way, fate that Eraqus' legacy should be my students. The two forces have joined together in the three of you, and you stand ready to overcome Xehanort once and for all. But to be certain, we will need the help of Keyblade wielders of the past. And Aqua is the most accessible."

"I will help her, in whatever way I can," Kairi said, her hand over her heart affirmingly.

"We will succeed," Yen Sid smiled again, "And soon Ventus and, if fortune smiles at us, Terra will return as well."

"Just tell us what we need to do, Master Yen Sid," Riku spoke for the first time since entering the Master's study.

"Come," Yen Sid led the three into his private chambers. Around the room were various circles and symbols meant to harness the power of Light. He took a spot on the far side of the large room and invited Kairi to stand in the center with his hand, "Kairi, if you would."

Kairi nodded, stepping forward carefully, but determinedly. Yen Sid directed Sora and Riku to take places on either side of her.

"Now Kairi, focus on the Light. See it inside of you. Close your eyes and picture it encompassing you."

Kairi complied, "It's so bright," she said with just a little awe.

"Now, think about your Keyblade. What does it look like to you?"

Kairi's hands reached out a bit, miming her vision, "It is…separate. Bubbled. It's a bright spot, and definitely within me, but somehow, apart from the rest of the Light."

"Excellent," Yen Sid smiled, "Continue focusing on the Light of your weapon. Sora, Riku, draw your own Keyblades, and aim them at Kairi's heart. Yes, just like that. Now Kairi, this is important. You must let the Light of your Keyblade go. Allow it to wander, but do not let it out of your sight."

"It's drifting."

"Good. It is supposed to do that. Follow carefully! If it slips away, we may lose it forever."

"It's dimming…what should I do?"

"Nothing! It has found the Dark Meridian, and its original master. Reach out and touch it, but do not grab. Keep it steady."

"Okay. I'm keeping it here."

"Sora, Riku, don't lose focus! We must all hold this position until our doorway invites another in."

On cue, a bright light flooded Yen Sid's private chamber, and as it flared, the sound of materialization was the only hint of what was happening. Vision had become useless in the glare, but as it died down, the four became aware of the two figures now joining them in the room. Yen Sid seemed surprised, but as the light faded, he remembered to coach Kairi, "That was excellent, Kairi, now bring your Keyblade back, fold it back into your Light." Kairi nodded, keeping her eyes closed. Yen Sid turned his face to the shorter of the newcomers, "Master Aqua," he bowed reverently.

"You are…Master Yen Sid?" a beautiful blue haired woman said, still seeming to take in her surroundings.

"Indeed, you have returned to the Realm of Light," Yen Sid offered comfortingly.

Riku stepped forward to the taller figure, the one draped in an Organization cloak.

"Ansem?"

The figure turned, appraising the boy from underneath his hood, "So they tell me. But that name has no meaning for me, no memories associated with it."

"No memories..? You don't remember who you are?"

"I know perfectly well what I am. I simply have no knowledge of what I was."

Riku smiled, looking relieved, "Still sounds like Ansem."

"You!" Aqua shouted, and before anyone could react, she had Sora pinned against the wall, her Keyblade drawn and pointed at his head. Sora held up his hands as Aqua began to scream at him, "What are you doing here?"

"Me..wha-? I, I don't think I understand," Sora stammered out.

Kairi stepped forward, placing a hand on Aqua's shoulder, "Aqua…can you please let Sora go?"

"Sora?" Aqua narrowed her eyes, then her expression softened, and she relaxed her grip, dropping Master Keeper to her side. She re-examined the boy with spiked hair and the face of Master Xehanort's pet, like he was a reflection in a funhouse mirror, "You are…Sora?"

"That's me," Sora grinned, apparently assuming the crisis had passed.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Aqua shook her head, lowering her gaze. "You…you look exactly like someone who hurt one of my friends."

"Oh, mistaken identity!" Sora said a bit too understandingly, "Well at least we cleared that up," he grinned, hands behind his head, confident that they were now friends.

Aqua tried not to blush as she smiled. No, this boy was nothing like the one who tried to possess Ventus.

Yen Sid stepped forward, "I regret that you have been wandering the Darkness for so long, Master Aqua. It must have been a trial like no other."

Aqua looked at Sora concernedly for a few seconds, and then turned to Yen Sid, "I remember Sora. How long was I away?"

Yen Sid sighed, "It has been well over thirteen years."

Aqua looked beside herself, "Thirteen years? It seemed like a long nightmare…but not even I thought I was gone that long."

"It is difficult to accept what cheats our senses," Ansem said behind her.

"There is no sense of time, not as we know it, in the Realm of Darkness," Yen Sid offered, "I would not have expected you to understand the ebb and flow of it there."

"It's just…disconcerting."

"There is one constant from before you left us," Yen Sid spoke softly now, "Xehanort."

Aqua said nothing, but her grip turned vice like around her Keyblade.

"We are attempting to recover Ventus and Terra as well. With your help, I think we have a chance to restore them both."

"Of course, of course," Aqua said, "If I can help, I will."

"We must wait for Mickey to return before we try to extract Ventus," Yen Sid said, "Sora. Until then, perhaps you should rest. Your procedure will be markedly more difficult than Kairi's."

"Difficult how?"

Master Yensid looked to Ansem, Aqua, then the three friends, his expression somber, even for his generally hawkish face. "I think you should be aware Sora, it will be very complicated…" Yensid then looked straight at Riku, "And very painful."

* * *

><p>Mickey was loading up his gummi ship, checking it for fuel and making sure all his systems were green. Donald and Goofy were out on a patrol, gathering some firsthand intel on the creatures, but he figured he would be ready for take-off as soon as the pair had returned.<p>

"Hmm, everything seems fine," the King murmured to himself, "All except that darn sparkplug in the firing system. It's probably just loose again by the sounds of that sputtering." Bending down, Mickey jiggled the device, snapping it solidly into the engine compartment. He gave a little sigh. In the old days, Chip and Dale would have simply replaced the part to keep the ship in tip top shape. But these days, any part of the gummi ship that became detached had a good chance of ending up back in the barrier. It was safer to reattach and try to jury rig it than try to risk it vanishing in the middle of a repair. He had no sooner silenced the malfunctioning part when in the quiet of the Garden's dock, he became aware of another presence with him. Trying to hide he had caught on, he pretended to fiddle with the engine, though it was perfectly fine. As soon as he felt the presence close in, he shot upright, spinning around and drawing his keyblade. "Kairi?"

A young woman with grey-silver hair stood with her arms folded. She wore only a short red dress. It reminded him of Namine's outfit, only the color of blood, and a bit more elaborate.

"I'm afraid we've never met, Your Majesty."

Mickey narrowed his eyes, preparing his fighting stance. That was definitely Kairi's voice, but it was harder, crueler than Kairi's gentle, floating sing song voice. "You seem to know me. Why don't you tell me who you are?"

"Why would I need to do that?" she asked with a touch of sarcasm.

"You are one of the creatures attacking Radiant Garden?"

The girl's hand glowed with the unmistakable swirl of void that signaled Dark powers, "I am. But I am not."

"Are you the one in charge? Are you some kind of Dream Eater?"

"I am simply playing, Mickey. I am not a mastermind."

Mickey pointed his blade at the girl, "You sure love talking in circles."

"I've told you all you need to know. I'm just here to entertain me," she slammed her hand on the wall of the gummi ship, sparks flying out and charges of dark lightning started to soak the walls of Mickey's ship. He lunged at her, causing her to fall away from the wall, but almost instantly from the areas that were "infected", several blocky, almost digital creatures emerged.

"Your Majesty!" Donald's voice shouted from outside the window. Mickey saw him and Goofy drawing their weapons and rushing for the door.

"It's over, surrend.." Mickey looked to where the girl had been, but she had vanished. Mickey quickly dispatched the two digitized creatures, and Donald ran into the cockpit, flailing wildly and shaking his wand.

"Alright, where are they? Let me at 'em!"

"It's handled, Donald," Mickey dismissed his blade, his expression solemn and contemplative.

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" Goofy asked.

"I'm fine…but I didn't recognize the creatures that girl summoned…"

"What girl?" Donald looked around the cabin with a confused look.

"I saw her. The one who looks like Kairi, and how!"

"What do you make of it?" Goofy questioned his king.

"I'm not sure, guys. She was here, and vanished. Then you two showed up." Mickey shook his head, "Oh! Did you two discover anything?"

Donald shook his head, "Nothing more than Leon. They act like Heartless and Nobodies, but they aren't either of them. It's a mystery."

Mickey frowned, "Xehanort's definitely up to something."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Donald punched his fist into his open palm, "We'll put him out of his misery when we get our hands on him."

"Do yathink he's building a new army?" Goofy asked, "Different from the Nobodies and the Heartless?"

"If there's one thing we've learned about Xehanort," Mickey said, "It's that he can create powerful creatures out of anything. Hearts, Darkness, Nobodies, hatred…We'll have to be on guard, but we're needed elsewhere right now."

Donald and Goofy both saluted smartly, "Right!" and went to prep the ship for launch.

* * *

><p>"The shape of the Heart?"<p>

Riku was alone with Yen Sid. The others had been dismissed, and Sora had been all too eager to bring Aqua up to speed with his adventures and the various conflicts with Xehanort. But Yen Sid had kept Riku behind.

"Indeed," Yen Sid spoke slowly, facing out his window, away from Riku.

"No, Ansem never mentioned anything about that."

"With his memories gone, he cannot give me the one piece of information I need to be sure. I was hoping you might fill in the gaps now that that option is denied to us."

"I'm sorry, Master, but he never did. What is it?" Riku was becoming suspicious. Yen Sid was usually direct, but all this dancing around and obfuscating his meaning was out of character.

"Every being has a heart. This heart influences your appearance. For example, when Roxas took Ventus' heart from Sora, he looked like Ventus, unlike the other Nobodies who looked like their original bodies. Or yourself, when Xehanort took your body and influenced your appearance to look more like him."

"So, you need to know if Ventus' heart is strong enough to form his own body?"

Yen Sid seemed surprised, turning around wide eyed, "Explain yourself?"

Riku felt a little shaken, but pursued his line of thinking, "Well, if Sora still looks like Sora, his heart must be overwhelming Ventus, right? Are you afraid that Ventus might not be strong enough to support a body?"

Yen Sid paused, turning back around, looking down and closing his eyes, trying to get his words out, "That is…one possibility. I am more concerned for Sora, however."

"Sora?"

Yen Sid sighed, "The last time he was separated from Ventus, Sora was rendered vulnerable to Namine. And, then, it necessitated reuniting the two to awaken him. I am concerned with how total the merging of the two souls has been. Ansem the Wise may hold the answers to that question, but he has lost all memory of those times."

"So…you are afraid that Sora and Ventus cannot co-exist?"

Yen Sid turned, his gaze boring into Riku's eyes in that fierce manner, "As I said, there are possibilities. I therefore feel it is only right to warn Sora."

Riku nodded in understanding, "I'll get him."

* * *

><p>"So, it's risky?" Sora asked after being told about the current situation.<p>

"Yes."

"But it could save Ventus?"

"If it works," Yen Sid cautioned.

Sora looked back at his friends in Yen Sid's chamber who had gathered behind them. They all looked concerned. Sora set his gaze on Aqua, and Kairi noticed that loving, yet steely determination that he got when he decided to help a complete stranger.

"I trust my friends," Sora turned around, balling a fist at the ready, "And with them guiding my heart, I have faith that they won't lose me. Only," Sora looked down, lowering his hand to his side, almost looking ashamed. "There is one thing…"

Aqua looked dejected. Would Sora not go through with it? She didn't blame him. She wasn't entirely sure herself if the risk was worth it to get Ventus back. Instead, she watched as he stepped over to Riku, his head still hung low like a puppy who had done wrong.

"Riku," he spoke so quiet, he seemed on the verge of tears. He turned his face up, his deep blue eyes looking up into Riku's, his voice a bit meek, as if ashamed he had not done this before. Riku nodded at him. Sora's eyes darted away for an instant, perhaps reconsidering, but then looked back to his best friend, "Tell me…about Roxas."

Riku paused, a bit shocked, folding his arms as he sorted through his memories of that time. He pondered, not made much easier by the eight pairs of eyes on him right now. "Well…Roxas was…alone. He…he wanted to be left alone. He wanted his friends…" Riku looked directly at Ansem, almost accusingly, "I tried. I wanted to give as much time as possible to him, to Namine, to get you well again. Even after we captured him, all he wanted was to be left alone with his friends. The friends we made for him," Riku's voice started to break, "I had no choice. He was returning to Xemnas, to bring his friend back to life."

"Xemnas? For help?" Sora asked.

Riku nodded, "He probably would have too. But to do it, he would have built Kingdom Hearts, and we weren't ready yet."

Sora looked down, now perhaps genuinely ashamed, as he put the pieces together, "All Roxas wanted was to live. That's what you meant, right? But because I needed him, he couldn't. Is that wrong?"

Riku walked over to the wall, keeping his eyes averted from the rest of his friends, "No. I'd say you got it right."

Sora nodded, took a gulp, and looked up at Yensid, "And Roxas was basically Ventus, right? So I can't possibly turn him down when he needs me."

Aqua's face lit up with hope again. Kairi only looked more fearful than before. Yen Sid gave a small smile, "As expected of Sora, the Keyblade Master."


	5. Chapter 5 When We 3 Shall Meet Again

Radiant Garden was a dangerous place, but for Lea, that is, someone who could defend himself, it was still a lovely place. The purple-orange sunset was his favorite time, around the canyons and waterfalls.

"Sure are taking it easy when your world is under siege."

Lea turned and saw a cloaked figure walking towards him. As he sat down on the ledge overlooking the landscape next to Lea, he snapped a quick peek under the robe Lea was so familiar with. The robe of the Organization.

"Fancy seeing you here."

The cloaked figure turned to face him, "Squall's little military isn't up to your standards, I guess?" he joked, folding his arms as if he didn't hear Lea.

"I'll admit I'm a bad team player. But at least I'm alive. You're supposed to be dead." After a silence, Lea leaned forward to see the figure's left arm, on the far side, that he was nursing as it leaked a small, steady stream of Darkness, "Though you seem to be pretty close, huh?"

The cloaked figure shrugged rather nonchalantly, "I had a little run in with the little girl. I wanted to talk. She…didn't. Haven't seen someone that unbalanced since Larxene."

"So your first instinct is to run to me for protection?"

The figure shrugged again, though his twisted smile could be felt through his voice, "You could always handle Larxene. I just figured you could handle this girl, Axel."

"I have a heart now. My name is Lea. Commit it to memory." He turned to face the diminishing end of sunset, before adding, "Besides…no one 'handled' Larxene. She rather let you if she liked you."

The cloaked figure chuckled a bit, then winced and cradled his injured arm, "Still a good reason to come to you. After all, you're a people person."

"What, you want to get the band back together?"

The cloaked man sat silently for a few seconds, so long that Lea assumed he had moved on from the question, until, "We ended up on the same side, in the end, didn't we?"

Lea only smiled at his audacity, "Yeah, I suppose we did. Although I only wanted to feel like I had a heart. You at least had…some kind of principles. I think, didn't you?"

The cloaked figure looked up nostalgically, "After a fashion. Guess I just couldn't get away from my self-imposed mission when I was alive." After another long silence, he chanced a glance at Lea, "I think I'm going to go to Yen Sid's group."

Lea turned, some genuine concern in his voice, "You can't go there alone. Sora, maybe, might accept your help. But Riku would certainly kill you on sight, out of principle. To say nothing of Mickey and Yen Sid himself."

"So you'll chaperone me?"

Lea paused, then broke out in uproarious laughter, "No, I wasn't quite volunteering for the job."

Another lengthy silence, "Then I suppose I need to take the risk."

"Why?"

"Information. I thought I recognized the creatures here. After my fight with the girl, I'm sure of it. I know what they are."

"You do?"

The cloaked figure nodded, turning to Lea, "I'm surprised you don't recognize them, Axel. It's the Unversed."

* * *

><p>"You will feel a weakening, and then you will probably be knocked out," a concerned Ansem was advising Sora as he prepped him for the separation. "This is normal. Do not be concerned. When you awaken, you and Ventus will get along like the oldest of friends, I'm sure."<p>

Sora nodded, sighing deeply to relax his body. Almost everyone was gathered to watch. Kairi and Aqua held each other's hands for encouragement, Riku stoically stood with his arms folded, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey were looking on anxiously from the back. Ansem and Yen Sid were rehearsing the details in hushed tones one last time.

The plan had been established: Ansem would try to access the data he deposited in Sora's heart to use as an anchor, while Yen Sid would be the one to extract Ventus. As the two finished their hushed whispers, Yen Sid turned his fierce gaze to Riku, "Master Riku, there is one detail before we are ready to proceed. Follow me, please." With that, he led Riku out, and up the stairs of his tower to his private chamber.

Some time passed before they returned, but when they did, Yen Sid led Riku in, who was carrying the comatose body of Ventus. Immediately Aqua rushed forward, "Ven! Is he alright?"

Yen Sid placed his hands on her shoulders, "Perfectly fine, my dear. His body was lost, but before I sent my summons, I retrieved him from Castle Oblivion."

Sora sat up a bit, to get a better look, an expression of concern and recognition putting him on alert. There was no doubt, it was how he remembered Kairi when the Heartless attacked the Destiny Islands, "Why does he look like that?"

Yen Sid explained as Riku carefully laid the still body of Ventus on the table next to Sora's, "Normally, he would have become a Heartless. But when there is no Darkness within a being, as in Ventus, the empty body cannot become Heartless nor Nobody. So it instead sleeps in the Realm of Light, until it is reunited with its heart."

"Apparently Yen Sid took it on himself to retrieve him from Castle Oblivion," Riku concluded.

Aqua looked up with gratitude at Yen Sid, who patted her shoulders and smiled, quietly whispering, "Now, we are ready." Then, louder to his companion, "Ansem?"

"Of course," the wise man took a position at the heads of Sora and Ventus, placing his palms on their foreheads and closing his eyes, concentrating. Yen Sid stepped between the two operating table-like structures, and placed his hands on their chests, greeted with a bright glow. The only sound was the shimmering, wind-catcher like hum of the Light. No one else dared speak a word, for fear of interrupting any one of their concentrations.

Riku only stared intently at Sora, until his nose twitched.

He breathed in deep again, and in a flash, drew his keyblade. The others looked at him, some with confusion, others with concern, others with determination, as he turned to face them, "Yen Sid said he was worried about this…we have visitors."

Donald rushed to the window, looking out on the gardens, where a dark portal was opening and several cloaked figures streamed out, "The Organization!"

"Riku, Aqua," Mickey immediately took charge of the situation, "You two stay here. Everyone else with me, we're not letting them interrupt this." Donald, Kairi, and Goofy nodded, arming themselves and rushing for the tower's gates. As they left the ceremony chamber, Aqua slammed the door and latched it, also casting a defensive seal around the ritual area, leaving herself and Riku outside. Riku noticed her looking at a blue charm in her palm, but she quickly tucked it away in a pocket.

Mickey's team was taking positions around Yen Sid's atrium. In only a few seconds the door burst open in a rush of fire. A laughing female figure with kunai ran into the room, shimmering briefly until there appeared to be three of her, all rushing at Kairi. Kairi froze, panicking in the moment when the clones bounced off of an air shield Donald placed on her, "Don't worry, Kairi," Donald yelled over, "We can watch each other's backs, they aren't so tough!"

Mickey was ready to dive over and help the trio, when two cloaked figures launched through the still smoky opening wielding an enormous sword and hatchet, respectively. Mickey leaped to avoid the sword, which rippled a large energy wave, and managed to push off the wall to avoid the swipe of the red and black hatchet. More Organization members flooded into the room, and by the time they took their positions around the heroes. Mickey counted eight in all, not counting the clones of the one who attacked Kairi.

Two of them stepped forward, one wielding guns, the other a scythe, and as the one with two guns blasted at the four heroes, forcing them to duck and deflect his shards, the scythe man started swinging, cutting the very air around them in half, shredding Donald's air-style shields. One with a blue shield rushed at Goofy, who met him with his own shield, clashing loudly as sparks flew.

For all the trouble Kairi was having blocking the hail of bullets, the woman with the daggers didn't seem to share that handicap, dancing around them and charging Kairi, tripping her deftly and readying a lightning charge. As Kairi fell, she took a swing at her attacker's heeled boots, forcing her to leap backward and cancel her attack.

Riku and Aqua heard the explosions and slams of weapons, but were helpless to do anything. Riku gritted his teeth and looked back at Yen Sid, hoping he would finish soon.

"How did they know?" Aqua asked curtly, also gritting her teeth in disgust.

"I assume when Yen Sid took Ventus' body, Xehanort let him. He's probably been watching us, somehow, waiting for when we started probing for Ventus' heart," Riku guessed. A huge explosion shook the very room, causing dust to fall as the rocks of the tower scraped against each other, absorbing the impact. "Or, we just have really, really bad timing."

Another huge impact sounded, and Aqua looked desperately to Riku, "I need to go out there. They can use my help!"

Before she could reach for the door, Riku's hand was around her wrist, "No. The King didn't leave us in here to protect us. He left us in here because it's the most dangerous. We're the only two keyblade masters, he thinks the battle in this room is going to be tougher."

Aqua leveled her gaze at her companion, voice uncharacteristically even and cold, "You're sure?"

"I know," Riku relaxed the grip on Aqua's arm. "Don't worry, they can handle themselves."

Meanwhile Mickey was involved in a little deception. He was battling three Organization members, the one with spears had since joined against him, and slowly allowing himself to be driven back towards a door on the opposite side of the wall where the ceremony chamber was. As soon as he noticed the one with the shield dart behind him towards it, he allowed himself to be hit a glancing blow by the spears and rushed to cut off the shield man. Now he was battling four, trying to keep their attention on the wrong entry point.

But while four on three might have seemed favorable odds for the other trio, the one with the doppelgangers still kept the fight greatly mis-matched, the three clones wearing Kairi down as the others focused on Donald and Goofy. Goofy struggled to deflect blows from the one with the scythe, with Donald deflecting bullets and water attacks from the other two.

Aqua jumped as Riku spun around, shooting a blast of dark fire, blind, into a dark portal that had opened. The portal quickly vanished, revealing a hooded figure behind it, who had apparently caught Riku's blast, crushing it slowly between his hands. Aqua leapt up and readied her guard, with Riku doing the same, "Xehanort, glad you could join us today."

Ansem snuck a peek, opening his eyes only briefly, but then went back to his task of holding Sora's heart inside of him. Aqua's expression also hardened at hearing the name.

The figure put its hands on his hips, shaking his head, "You always were a true prodigy, Riku," he mused as he slipped his hood back, revealing the face of Terra.

Aqua didn't wait for more pleasantries, rushing at Xehanort, who drew his keyblade effortlessly and blocked every swing she made, before blowing her backwards, causing her to slam against the wall, head making a hard CRACK against the stone.

"Really, Aqua," Xehanort chastised her, "You didn't think anything would change from the last time we crossed paths? This time, however, I don't think I'll leave you the luxury of returning to this realm." With that, he lunged at her, and before Aqua could see what happened, Riku's keyblade was in front of her face, blocking Xehanort's blow. Xehanort turned his dark face to Riku, eyeing him from behind his white hair, "You, I do not wish to destroy. You would make an excellent replacement for Sora's body."

"Is that why you're here?" Riku grimaced, turning Xehanort's blade away from Aqua's face, "To add Sora to your little army while he's helpless?"

Xehanort's expression became one of mocking sympathy, "I am only here to fulfill my end of the promise. That the three of us," he motioned to Aqua and Ventus, "would be together again. So, here I am."

Riku scowled, but Aqua spoke first, getting to her feet, "How…how dare you. How dare you!" She started in with a flurry of blows on Xehanort. Riku quickly joined in, swinging from the opposite side. Xehanort's form was a blur of sparks and streaks of color as he parried each blow noted that while they weren't making progress breaking his defense, they were preventing him from striking back. _That's good_, Riku thought, _all we need is to stall until Sora's awake._

But the blows were becoming sloppy, Xehanort was gaining momentum and control. Aqua desperately looked for an opening, but couldn't find one to pull away. All she could do was keep the pressure on. Then, Xehanort caught Master Keeper in the nook of his blade, twisting it in his parry and tossing it to the other side of the room. As he swung at Aqua, Riku extended his arm to place a dark shield around her, blocking the blow, but leaving him open to a kick that sent him tumbling back.

Looking at the two, and satisfied they were stunned for the moment, Xehanort turned his blade on the shield guarding Sora and the others, pressing down as it sparked and sizzled. He grimaced as it seemed to be taking longer than he anticipated, and his welling rage started to erupt from his throat, "Hrrrraaahhh!" he slammed his fist down in a dark fire burst, shattering the shield in a concussive explosion. Breathing hard, he stood up, regaining his composure, "Now…where were we?" he growled as his hand extended, swirling in Darkness, reaching for Sora. Unimpeded, he placed a hand on Yen Sid's, the Darkness encompassing the Light between the Master's hand and Sora's chest, until he felt his wrist siezed and turned away. Sneering, he looked up to see Ansem, eyes open in rage, as he took his advantage and threw Xehanort into the far wall.

Placing a hand on Yen Sid's shoulder, Ansem got between Xehanort and the ritual, "You must hurry, my friend." Turning his attention to Xehanort, he readied himself to fight.

Xehanort chuckled, brushing his robe, "You have even less chance than the little girl, old man. My Darkness will consume you."

"I know," Ansem said, clenching his fists, "I have become even more enfeebled since our last encounter. And you, you are fully restored, not a half-being as I last knew you."

Xehanort started swinging his keyblade, as if he were simply warming up, "You are a thorn in my side at every step of my journey, Ansem. I will correct that problem."

Suddenly Master Keeper flew through the air between them, landing perfectly in Aqua's hand. "Ansem! You shield Sora!" On command, Ansem threw his body over the boy, trying to also cover Yen Sid, a weak emerging shield behind his body. Then, Riku looked to Aqua, "Aqua, shield Xehanort, do it now!"

Aqua looked perplexed, but obeyed, casting her deep blue dome around Xehanort, who looked at it bemusedly, "You expect this to contain me?"

Riku got to his feet, palm outstretched towards Xehanort, taking a smug sort of satisfaction as he watched the realization come to light in his eyes, "No." A dark shield simultaneously overlapped Aqua's, and when the Light and Dark energies clashed, a massive explosion blew apart the wall behind Xehanort, sending him flying into the atrium and skidding across the ground into the fray with Mickey's group.

For a moment, all battle stood still. Kairi struggled to stay upright, cradling a hurt arm, while Mickey seemed to be breathing quite heavily and on the verge of collapsing. The Organization shades who stood outside were paused, and fell back to where they had entered, rallying behind Xehanort, with the scythe and shield members stood in front guarding him.

Riku and Aqua were obviously injured, with Ansem trying to recover. Suddenly the scythe man cut several blades at Mickey, blasting him back against the wall. Donald immediately ran to his king, shooting off fire spells randomly at Xehanort's cloaked forces. Another quick slash knocked Donald unconscious. Goofy leapt forward, using his shield to block successive shots against his comrades, leaving Kairi standing alone, positioning herself in front of the hole blown through the wall, holding her keyblade in a stance similar to the way she saw Riku stand when he was training her. If she was lucky, maybe she could fight without the use of an arm.

Xehanort stepped forward, passing his two guards and aiming his keyblade at Kairi, "Get out of the way, girl. I have business in that room."

"I won't let you hurt Sora," her voice remained steady and unflinching.

Riku barely regained his senses in time to see Xehanort use his magic to fling Kairi to the side against the wall, crushing her already injured arm.

Xehanort lowered his blade, letting out a great sigh, the first sign he had shown of fatigue. "Now, without further interruption…" he and his cohorts began moving towards Sora and Yen Sid, when a huge rush of the signature void-flames of Darkness came pouring out of the room, forcing the Organization members to shield themselves. Looking to the opening with a glare, Xehanort saw Riku soaking in black, void-like energy. He watched the boy's eyes turn gold, then orange, then they simply started burning in his Dark Firaga energy. With a forceful scream, Riku's hand fired another blast at one of Xehanort's minions, knocking them prone. Xehanort waited for them to rise, but they didn't get up. Putting both hands together, Riku fired a double-palmed blast of fire at the enemies assembled in front of him, a fireball so massive it engulfed three members.

Three of the Organization opened dark portals, opting to retreat. Seeing the panic, two more followed suit. The others waited, looking to Xehanort for guidance. With a look of disgust, he waved his hand, dismissing the others, who immediately fled into the portals.

Aqua was still half unconscious, groaning and vaguely aware of the sounds. But one thing she remembered was the feeling of Dark energy, something she had learned to detect in all her years in the Realm of Darkness, "Terra?" she asked, rubbing her forehead. Another scream and rush of fire made her take in her surroundings quicker, and she saw Riku standing right in the hole they had created together. _No, not Terra…he's far more terrible than Terra…_ Aqua watched as Riku clapped his hands together, and a concussive wave of darkness rumbled the atrium, his eyes burning in hot fire and his expression one of unbridled rage.

Xehanort hadn't felt concern in a long time. He had been irritated at setbacks, certainly, but never had he assumed that Terra, Eraqus, or Sora would –defeat- him in the end. Now he finally felt some sort of hesitation. Perhaps even a drop of fear at Riku's new powers. He quickly shut the thought down as a veteran of combat, by smothering the thought in simple regret he hadn't tamed Riku in his Heartless form. So much power! He would have been the perfect vessel, even better than Terra.

Riku shot another Dark Firaga at Xehanort, who tried to catch it in his palms like when he had first materialized here. Only this time there was a different kind of power inside. Little sparks of Light, which shocked and leapt at his hands as he tried to snuff out the Darkness. As more Darkness evaporated, only the Light sparks remained unaffected, until it was mostly those sparks, which he could not snuff out so easily. In desperation, he tried to deflect it upwards into the roof, where they shattered relatively harmlessly. Xehanort glared at Riku, who was now sweating profusely. His body was worked to exhaustion. Even still, he readied another blast for Xehanort.

Before he was ready, however, Xehanort fired a blizzaga blast at him, the cold ice impacting and spreading around his body. It interrupted his attack, but could not immobilize him with all the Dark energy engulfing him.

"You are all beginning to test my patience," Xehanort spat as he resummoned his keyblade, only to find himself knocked over by a huge blast of water. Shaking his head and looking back, he saw Yen Sid's towering form now behind Riku, apparently ready to sling more magic. Even further back, he saw Ventus rousing from his slumber. _Sora won't be far behind_, he cursed, and opened himself an escape portal, retreating.

Almost immediately, Riku collapsed, falling forward, his face impacting the stone floor fairly hard. Aqua rushed over to him, turning him over, "Riku? Riku? Are you hurt?"

Riku chuckled weakly in her arms, "I'm pretty sure we all hurt. What about Kairi? Is she alright?"

"I'm fine," Kairi said, nursing her arm. Yen Sid started administering Cure spells to everyone, when they all became aware of another presence in the room.

"Aqua?" a sleepy sounding voice asked.

The blue haired girl turned up and saw her old friend, "Ventus!" she immediately leapt up, embracing him in a long hug.

"Aqua!" he smiled, returning the hug, "it's been a while." He noticed the prone figure, and a red haired girl coming over to tend him, "You…that hair…I…I remember you."

Aqua looked between Ven and Riku and smiled, "Ventus, meet Riku, he's a Key-," she cut herself off as she looked at Riku's face, his eyes finally open again as he seemed to be regaining strength, "Riku…your eyes."

Embarrassed, Riku held his hand over them instinctively, "What? What's wrong with them?"

Kairi knelt down, gently removing his hand and brushing his long, platinum hair back, and looked into the bright orange eyes that now occupied the space his perfect blue gems once were.

"Do not worry. It shall pass. With time," Yen Sid offered encouragingly, "Riku delved into the Darkness, quite deeply. Such is the risk for tapping the powers Xehanort unlocked within you."

"Xehanort," Ventus said stoically, "like he did to Terra?"

"Yes," Aqua said, now sounding quite fearful. "Master Yen Sid," she said hesitantly, "will we be able to retrieve Terra?"

Yen Sid sighed, "Ironically…we will only be given an opportunity when Xehanort is at his strongest. We know he intends to use Organization XIII as his vessels, and it is that distribution of his power that will make it possible to remove him from Terra, when he will resist it least."

Suddenly, Kairi was the first to realize, "Sora? Where's Sora?"

Everyone looked to the table, where Sora lay in a deep slumber, Ansem by his side. Riku squeezed past Ventus and Aqua, looking upon his sleeping friend, then to Ansem, "It's just like that time…"

"Yes, so it would appear," Ansem sighed. "But this time…Namine is…"

Everyone was silent for a time, encircling the table, guardians around their lost friend. Riku thought back to what Yen Sid had told him just a few hours ago, _It will be very difficult, and very painful._


	6. Chapter 6 The Board is Set

Lea was hanging around a sea salt ice cream stand, popular destinations for the attacks on Radiant Garden by the mysterious new creatures. Or, Unversed, supposedly. But those had been wiped out over 13 years ago. Lea needed proof before he'd escort anyone anywhere.

His cloaked companion bought an ice cream off the duck tending the stand, and quietly ate it as the two of them waited.

"It's been three hours…how long do they need to show up?" Lea grumbled, folding his arms behind his head and laying on the ground.

"Patience," the cloaked man answered simply.

"Yeah. Tried it once. Wasn't fond of it. That was always your thing."

"Just try to act like an adult, Axel."

Lea stood up, hands on his hips and leaned forward into the other man's hood, "It's Lea. I told you, I got my heart back from the land of dreams." He put his fingertips into the corners of his own mouth and stretched out the single syllable, "Leeeeeeeeeeeee. Got it memorized?"

Without moving from his face to face gaze, the hooded man simply took another bite of his ice cream until Lea got bored and started checking out some of the girls around town. They were too busy to be indignant at this hour, curfew was approaching and everyone preferred traveling in groups these days. Lea whistled, mostly to himself, "There sure are a lot of cuties, huh? Makes me glad I got my heart back to really appreciate them." After his comment went unanswered, Lea looked up to his companion with a raised eyebrow, "Hey, you never told me…Did you manage to get your heart back? You must have, or you wouldn't be here. You'd be with Xehanort's drones."

The hooded figure went to lean on the rail next to Lea, "What makes you so sure we're anything more than Hearts, as we are? After all, Xehanort has one of your little clones in his army. Your Nobody. Maybe you are like what Sora was when he was separate from Roxas at Castle Oblivion. Maybe I am that for me."

Lea looked intrigued. Or at least intrigued if you knew Lea's habit of hiding his intellectual curiosity, "You think that's why I can use a keyblade?"

"I'd wager it's a helpful indicator…all your Dark parts separated from you? That'd be a magnet for keyblades."

Lea snorted, "You're never one to gamble. So I'll take that as a yes."

"You always give me too much credit."

"Untrue," Lea said without a pause, "Like I said, you're supposed to be dead. I'd say I messed that up pretty bad."

Before he could get an answer, Lea spotted a cute girl in a red dress with silver hair. Without pausing, he leapt over the railing to the walkway below, "If you'll excuse me."

The hooded figure reached out to stop him but Lea was already briskly walking towards her.

"Hey there, little princess! It's curfew soon isn't it? Would you like an escort home?"

Pausing, the girl spoke simply and leveled, without turning to face him, "Home? No."

Lea flicked his nose all casual-like, "Well, where do you need help going in such an alluring get up? My name's Lea-kun," he offered his hand.

After a few seconds pause, the girl turned her head slightly, to get a look at him from the corner of her eye, "I am Kara-sama," she reached her hand upright, as it gathered Darkness.

Lea suddenly seemed to realize his mistake, "Namine?" he whispered before being cut off by a Dark wave, sending him flying before catching himself and skidding to a stop.

"Axel!" the hooded man was running down the walkway.

The girl in the red dress started to shimmer, her hair levitating with her aura of power. Axel summoned his keyblade, the flame-like blade glowing in the dark of night. He noticed the gravity spell behind her as his companion fired it at her. She deftly ducked underneath it as several creatures manifested from the walls of the buildings surrounding them.

Lea waited for them to completely form, waiting to attack until he clearly identified them. He summoned a flame along his free arm like a heavy gauntlet, which also lit up the dark alleyway.

"Why do you look like Namine!" Lea shouted.

The girl scowled at him, her eyes golden with Darkness, "I don't know of any 'Namine'. I have already told you. I am Kara." She gestured towards Lea, which apparently commanded the creatures to leap at him as she turned her attention to the cloaked figure.

Lea slashed at several of the creatures, until one locked weapons with his keyblade and he could shine his flame at it. The symbol was there: a heart made up of two crossed axes. The Heart in conflict, "So, you guys really are Unversed. That can't be good," Lea murmured as he burned the one locked with him away. He looked to make sure no more would jump him, and lunged at the girl, when a black tendril uncoiled from her body and blocked his keyblade. Lea grunted as he tried to push through to no avail, watching the shadows from the ones he had defeated writhe and slither back into the girl's body. "Okay, definitely not good," he grunted as another tendril slapped him away. Before the pair could make a move on her, Kara vanished into a dark portal, chuckling almost playfully at the exercise.

"So, are you ready to help me tell Yen Sid?"

Lea cracked his neck and knuckles, sighing, "Always the icky jobs…"

* * *

><p>Ansem and Riku were keeping vigil over Sora. Kairi had been around, but Mickey had taken her to train a bit more now that her arm had been healed, partly to improve her skills for the next battle, but mostly to keep her mind off of her dear friend's predicament. The pair who couldn't stop thinking about it, hadn't said more than a grunt and a nod since it happened the day before.<p>

"Riku," Ansem shook his head, breaking the silence, "I am so sorry. This is the second time I have failed you."

Riku didn't move. For a time it seemed as if he was agreeing with the sentiment, but eventually, he raised his head, shaking it gently, "No, Ansem. You couldn't help it. If you hadn't stepped in when you did, Xehanort might have taken Sora altogether."

It was Ansem's turn to sigh, "But it was my duty to keep Sora's heart anchored. If I had not left my post…if I had been stronger and able to defend Sora while staying within the ritual…" Ansem looked at his hands, as if they had been stained in blood.

Riku placed a hand on Ansem's shoulder, "You did your best. We all did." Ansem nodded, accepting the answer but clearly not satisfied by it. Riku gave a slight sniffle.

"Are you alright, Riku?"

"Yeah," Riku held his nose, clenching his orange eyes shut, "This room just reeks of Darkness. And I can still taste it inside me."

"You did expend a significant amount of power yesterday," Ansem reminded him.

Donald's sudden cry echoed throughout the tower, "Dark Portal! A Dark Portal in the Garden!"

Riku and Ansem rushed outside, where Mickey, Donald, and Kairi were waiting, watching the portal. It hovered, so much it seemed to enjoy making them wait, before a figure stepped out.

"Lea!" Riku gasped.

"Yo," Lea shot a trademarked, smartass salute. He looked at the tower, still blown out from yesterday's battle, "Gosh, somebody's been having a bad day. Worse than me, even. Who'd'a thought it?"

As he finished his sentence, the portal sealed up behind him, causing him to jump and turn around, "Hey wait! Aren't you coming!" he shouted to the empty air.

"Lea?" Riku raised an eyebrow, "Who are you talking to?"

Lea put on his poker face, thinking for a minute, before turning around with a grin, "Ah, no one. No one important, just my ride."

"You didn't open the dark portal?" Ansem asked.

"Nah, well, see…it's too long to explain now," Lea looked around the group assembling, noticing a blonde haired boy and a girl coming out with him at the tower, "Where's Yen Sid?"

"Up in the tower," Mickey responded."

"I need to speak with him. It's about Radiant Garden."

"Oh, we were just there a few days ago!" Mickey added.

"Oh, so you recognized them, Your Majesty? The creatures?" Lea asked.

"Well, gosh, can't say that I did."

Lea sighed, though in a self-congratulatory manner, "Well, can't say I'm surprised, need us to bail your butts again." Then, more serious, "Did you get told of the girl? In the red dress?"

"Yup," came the quick reply.

"The one who looked like Kairi?" asked Donald.

"Yeah," Lea answered, "I thought she was Namine at first. But she insists her name is Kara."

"Welp, why don't we go to Yen Sid and sort all this out?" Mickey suggested, and the group went up to see the sorcerer.

"The Unversed, you say?" Yen Sid stroked his long gray beard. Everyone had been assembled, Ventus and Aqua, even Chip and Dale were present.

"What are the Unversed?" Riku asked.

Yen Sid folded his fingers, resting his chin on them as he examined the group one by one, "13 years ago, a boy named Vanitas summoned the Unversed. They were a manifestation of raw emotion. All of the emotions of Darkness."

"So they're like Heartless?" Donald asked.

"Similar, yes," Yen Sid nodded, "But quite different. They can emerge from any living being with a Heart, and any single person can support multiple Unversed, though only one at a time."

"Does that mean we all have an Unversed in the Realm of Darkness?" Kairi asked.

Yen Sid shook his head, "The Unversed require a catalyst. You remember how powerful Nobodies retained their bodies and minds, and controlled the other Nobodies through Organization XIII?" he looked for signs of acknowledgement from the group, "Well, the Unversed have a progenitor. A single entity who can craft and control them. Any being made of negative, Dark energy could act as a progenitor."

"So, a Heartless?" Riku inferred.

Yen Sid shook his head, "No…it needs to be a being who still retains Light, but has chosen to ignore it. A Heartless is completely consumed in Darkness, without a fragment of Light."

"So, this Kara person has a source of Light? How do we find it?"

Yen Sid looked squarely at Kairi, "I believe our mistaken identity is the key to this mystery."

Ansem suddenly caught onto an idea, "Yen Sid, do you possess any copies of Xehanort's reports?"

Yen Sid nodded, motioning to a bookshelf where Ansem quickly found the folded pages, opening them up and scouting for the ones written under his name, "I believe it was in the chapter regarding the Princesses of Light…Ah! Here…'I have created a girl with these properties. I will send her into the sea of worlds'." He looked at Kairi.

Mickey furrowed his brow in thought, "Xehanort did live on Radiant Garden at the time. And Kara is sticking to Radiant Garden at the moment.

"Kairi," Donald offered, looking up at her, "didn't you live on Radiant Garden, too?"

Kairi nodded, "When I was very little. Then one day…I was at the islands."

"The night of the meteor shower," Riku murmured softly.

Ansem shut the book, replacing it back on the shelf, "I think I understand."

"I don't, someone please explain?" Lea whined.

Ansem counted off his points on his fingers, "Vanitas was created when Ventus was created, by seeding out the Darkness from the Light. So, in effect, Ventus became what is essentially a being of pure light. Just like a Princess. As Kairi is a Princess...but she is only a Princess because Xehanort performed a similar experiment on her, she wasn't born that way like the others. She is, in a sense, the second Ventus."

Riku nodded, "I see. So, Kara is Kairi's Vanitas."

Kairi looked mostly concerned, Riku squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"But...why now?" Mickey asked confused, "If that's true, Kara has been alive for 11 years now, since the meteor shower, at least, if not longer. Why haven't we seen the Unversed until now?"

The gathered pondered for a bit, until Ventus spoke up, "Well, the Unversed didn't arrive the first time until I had reached a certain strength. I think my power and Vanitas' power were linked, it took several years since we split for the Unversed to appear."

Riku face-palmed himself, "And I've been training Kairi to fight."

"Wait," Ven spoke up again, "when Xehanort split me and Vanitas up, it was to create the X-blade. Is he doing it again?"

Yen Sid shook his head, "I think it is too soon to speculate on Xehanort's motives. But we must be prepared for anything."

"My guess is he wants Kara as a new body," Riku mused, "He's missing the Roxas position, which is why he went after Sora."

"Are we sure that's the truth?" Kairi asked, her voice wavering a bit, "All these years…Kingdom Hearts…the Heartless and the Princesses…the Nobodies…all of it has been a lie, time after time. New information reveals itself and what we thought we knew turns out to be only half the story, or completely wrong."

Yen Sid stroked his beard, "It is true that Xehanort's true machinations have never been what he claims. The skills to discern his true motive are beyond our ability."

Mickey looked to him, "Ansem, couldn't you figure it out with all your research on the Heart?"

Ansem shook his head, "No, old friend, I'm afraid most of that memory is lost to me. Perhaps in time it will return, but most of my notes, the details to be sure, are locked in Sora's Heart."

Ventus looked confused, "You locked data inside Sora's Heart?"

Ansem nodded, "Oh, truth be told, he wouldn't be able to access it directly on a computer. But, by instinct, he has access to all that knowledge. He will simply understand the workings of the Heart when his need to understand is great."

"You really think Sora can do that?" Donald asked a little skeptical, "Sora isn't the brightest of heroes."

Ansem chuckled, "I felt that boy's Heart was where the greatest amount of good could get done. Unfortunately…" he let his thought trail off. He had no need to finish, all minds were on the slumbering Sora now.

After almost a minute of this silence, Yen Sid turned to Mickey, "Mickey…go into my private chamber…there are gifts waiting there."

Everyone watched as Mickey placed his hand on the door knob, gulped, and dashed inside. Donald reflected on his earlier conversation with the King. He was probably panicking. But when he emerged, he carried a purple silk cloth, which when opened, contained what looked like star-shaped gummi blocks, one blue, one orange, one purple. Donald was the first to ask, "What are those, Master Yen Sid?"

The old sorcerer nodded at the blocks, "These are star shards. They are what should be considered rogue gummi blocks. Ever since our first conflict with Xehanort, I have been collecting them."

"You only had the one that I took during my Mark of Mastery," Mickey said meekly, his failure to prevent the current crisis still weighing heavily on his mind, even after so many years.

Yen Sid nodded, fighting back a smirk, "I have since acquired the two others. Star Shards are incredibly rare, and are unpredictable. The only way to control them is through experience."

"So how do we share them?" Goofy asked.

"We still have a Gummi ship," Mickey said, "So they should go to the others."

Ansem raised a hand to stop Mickey mid-sentence, "The barriers are still being restored, Mickey. With bad luck, a single world could have one point of entry, which might seal while you are on the world's surface."

"What about the dark corridors?" Lea asked, lounging on a table.

"Possible, but extremely dangerous," Yen Sid said, "Only those who wield dark powers can enter, and during his time as a Nobody, Xehanort maintained the pathways for his use. Without Xemnas, they are less defined, more difficult to navigate, more chances for errors to occur."

"Our armor has been destroyed by Xehanort," Aqua said, holding her keyblade, looking at it longingly, "without its protection, we can't use the Lanes Between."

"Meaning that Xehanort and his clones have the advantage," Riku concluded. He then looked to Lea, "Lea, how did you get here? You used a dark corridor, but I thought you lost your Dark power."

"Yeah I did," Lea answered casually, swinging his arms, "Like I said, I hitched a ride."

"From who?" Ansem pressed.

Lea kept on fidgeting, but Ventus got the idea that he was hiding something. It was just an instinct, like he'd seen this before. "Just some guy from the Garden. We fought Kara together," Lea finally said, "he had Dark powers. I thought the plan was we'd both come here, but I guess he changed his mind."

"More likely he was lost," Yen Sid added, "underlining the risk of using the corridors for travel."

"Well, we should divide up into groups," Mickey pounded his fist into his hand determinedly, "keep to groups and go doing our own things."

"Agreed," Riku said, "We should divide into separate teams. We can cover more ground, especially if these Star Shards are as tricky as you say they are."

"How do we decide who goes where, though?" Kairi asked hesitantly.

"How do we even figure out where we're needed?" Ventus asked.

Aqua stepped forward, "As I see it, we have three quests. We have to find a way to restore Terra, we have to guard the Princesses of Heart, and we need to deal with this Kara person."

"And we need to find out what Xehanort's planning," Mickey added, taking the blue Star Shard. "Leave that to me."

Donald and Goofy suddenly got to attention, saluting smartly, "Your Majesty!" Goofy said, "We will accompany you on your fact-finding mission!"

Mickey seemed to blush, "Aww, shucks you guys. You two have been more than helpful, but I need you two to guard Kairi. She's a Princess after all, Xehanort will no doubt come after her!"

"But Your Majesty-" Donald protested.

"No 'buts', Donald," Mickey waved his hand, "We all have duties in this Keyblade War. And you two will be most helpful protecting Kairi. She needs your help more than I do." Seeing the slightly dejected looks on his top retainers' faces, Mickey quickly added, "Besides, three people will draw a lot more attention than one. I'll handle this job alone," he concluded, handing Donald the orange Shard.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Donald grumbled, accepting the Shard and exchanging worried looks with Goofy.

"We'll make sure this Kara person doesn't ruin Radiant Garden," Kairi nodded, offering an encouraging smile to the pair. The warmth of her pretty smile seemed to lighten their spirits some.

"No," Ventus quickly stepped forward, "we have to assume that Xehanort is using Kara to create the X-Blade. We need to keep you as far away from Kara as possible," Ventus put his hand on her shoulder, smiling. "We'll protect the Princesses, I'm coming with you."

Kairi smiled at Ventus, nodding.

"I'll handle Kara," Riku said softly.

Aqua looked worried, looking from face to face, "But what about Terra? How will we save him?"

Riku walked over to Mickey while Aqua was talking, taking the purple Star Shard, and then walking to Aqua, taking her hand in his and placing the Shard in it, "That's why you're going to find a way, with Ansem."

Aqua fought back tears looking into Riku's now gold eyes, "Thank you," she managed to say, but her voice sounded restrained, as if it could barely fight its way past the lump in her throat.

Yen Sid stood up, "Riku, in your condition, it's far too dangerous."

"I know the risks. I also used to walk the Dark Corridors quite a bit. I'm willing to take the chance. Besides, Kara seems to be on Radiant Garden, and not going anywhere. I may not need more than one portal."

"You don't know that, though," Kairi said quietly.

Yen Sid looked to Lea, "And where will you be going, Lea? You might be able to walk with Riku."

"Actually," Lea said, still in his lounging position, but his face was stern and uncharacteristically serious, "I will go with Kairi. Ventus will need to go with Riku. He knows how to fight Unversed."

"What about Sora?" Goofy asked innocently.

"I will remain here," Yen Sid said, "And when Sora awakens, I will send him to join Kairi's group. But you cannot help him here."

"How will you get him to us?" Ventus asked with a baffled expression on his face.

Yen Sid smiled, "Sora is a powerful keyblade wielder. He can use the Gummi Ship, there are still pathways. It will take time, but we can't afford to leave a Star Shard here when we don't even know when Sora will awaken." Kairi didn't seem satisfied by this answer, but nodded. The others all seemed to understand.

As the group left to make their preparations, Ansem strode up next to Lea, "You are quite insightful, Lea. Why is it you never came into my employ?"

Lea raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Oh I tried. You kept telling me I was too foolish."

Ansem laughed heartily, hands locked behind him as they left Yen Sid's study, "My mistake, clearly."

* * *

><p>Riku came to Sora's room, staring at his slumbering friend. Taking his hand in his, he spoke quietly, "Always seems this way. You get to lounge around, I do the grunt work, and you swoop in at the end and take the credit. The raft, finding Kairi, the Organization…" Riku fought as his golden eyes teared up, "And I'm sure you'll do it again. I should be used to seeing you helpless, Sora. But I'm not." He looked around, as if he would find the words waiting for him, then simply patted Sora's limp hand, "I'm not sure how you can look so content. It's the end of the world, Sora. You'd better wake up before it's over."<p>

Putting his hand back, Riku turned to walk away, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black stip of cloth, wrapping it around his eyes, "I'll return soon," he said as he approached the door, his nose twitching as he grabbed the doorknob. _Still reeks of Darkness in here…_

Riku went out to the courtyard, where the various teams were gathered. Yen Sid was giving everyone a one-up by activating the Star Shards himself, held in the hands of Kairi, Mickey, and Aqua, tapping the golden star symbol in their center, and stepping back as all three teams, all holding onto their respective Shard's keeper, flashed and vanished as they traveled to their destinations. Riku smiled, concentrating as he forced open a portal, considerably harder than he remembered.

"I wish you luck, Master Riku." Yen Sid offered in a harsh, almost command voice. He wasn't very well practiced in sounding empathetic.

But Riku just smiled, recognizing the effort for what it was, turning to Ventus, "Stay close, alright?" Ventus nodded silently, in something resembling awe at his power, and they stepped into the Realm of Darkness.

((**Author's Note:** I apologize for the contrived way the cloaked man's identity is secret. I've dropped plenty of hints, half of you probably figured it out. But I tried to reveal him(I had to rewrite this entire chapter when it didnt work), and the way this info dump played out, was WAAAAAAY too wordy. We're already at over 3,000 words of basically exposition without him. He carries another piece of the puzzle, and he wouldn't hold onto it, right? This was the best way to roll out the big reveals one by one, while also keeping you, the reader, sane. But the pieces are in place. He'll probably pull the hood back at chapter 10ish. Chapter 8 is reserved for the biggest reveal of all.))


	7. Chapter 7 This Thing of Darkness

Pete was having a bad day.

"Oof!" he grunted as the blonde woman delivered a kick to his chest that sent him straight into one of the columns of the castle.

A very bad day.

The woman giggled playfully, doing a few cartwheels as she approached him. Her bright green eyes were alight with pleasure as she delivered another stern kick to his ribs with her pointed boots, and then another huge one that sent him tumbling around the floor.

Pete struggled to his feet. _Oh, why'd I pick this week to start that chili dog diet?_ He asked himself, cursing his rotund body. This woman was picking him apart with her agility. Still, it was his duty to protect the castle, and he balled one of his hands into a burly fist and swung hard at her. Giggling, she leapt over him and delivered a few shots to his kidneys. Roaring, Pete swung his arm around trying to clothesline her, but she simply stepped ahead of it and kicked him in the spine, sending him rolling forward.

"It's been fun, buddy, really," she said with sincere affection. Not sincere enough she wasn't beating the cat up, but it certainly sounded that way. She drew several daggers, her body charging with lightning like a rod, "But I'm gonna have to end this here," she grinned. It was a terrifying smile to Pete. Not that he hadn't taken pleasure doing some nasty things in his lifetime. But the way she looked so innocent about it, like it was a stroll along the beach or eating some ice cream, was what unnerved him most.

_But I've still got a trick or two left_, Pete grumbled in his mind, and with a wave of his hand summoned some Shadows to protect him. Before even a couple of them leapt at the blonde woman, she had vaporized them with her powerful lightning charge. Pete tried again, but she just threw her kunai at them, a perfect shot directly in the heart with a single dart per Heartless. Pete gulped visibly, _Okay, maybe not as many tricks as I thought._

That's when a dark portal opened behind her, a hooded figure coming out, "Larxene, why are you wasting your energy destroying Heartless? You could take command of them away from this peon."

Pete narrowed his eyes, thinking. _The voice…he's the one who fought Maleficient…what was his name…_

"Oh calm down," Larxene said, placating him, "You're gonna spoil all my fun."

Pete might have been a pushover, but taking the distraction he reached into a pouch at his side, pulling out a few smoke bombs, and tossed them between him and the Nobodies. They didn't even have time to react as the flashbang caught them both off guard, coughing and choking on the smoke. Pete made an easy decision, He who fights and runs away doesn't have to die today.

When the smoke cleared he was nowhere to be seen. Larxene growled, glaring at the uninvited guest, "Look what you made me do!" she said, sparks of electricity dancing around her body in rage.

"Calm down," the figure said, removing his hood and revealing a cross shaped scar and pointed ears hidden in his blue hair, "There's just one of him. We'll run into him sooner or later."

"Yeah but what if someone else does him in? What fun is that?" she pouted.

"You're pathetic," he answered quite matter-of-factly, turning and walking up the corridor. He narrowly dodged a stream of lightning fired from Larxene's hand, flipping around just in time to see her kunai flying straight at him, one managing to fly right through his hair, cutting some it. He simply glared at her and went on his way.

Larxene for her part huffed, dashing at top speed in the opposite direction, hoping to find Pete for herself.

Pete was running as fast as his tubby body could carry him, _I think I just used eight of my nine lives_, he panicked in his mind, trying to remember the quickest route to Maleficent's chamber. The World That Never Was was the last stop in the Realm Between: just one foot closer to the Realm of Darkness and you'd be caught forever. Metaphorically speaking of course. Magic wasn't Pete's strong suit, even though he had some talent in it. But he didn't trust himself to use the dark corridors navigate the castle. He'd have to do it on foot.

_Gotta find Maleficent, gotta warn her about the Nobodies_, he dutifully told himself. As he turned a corner, he skidded to a stop, seeing an Organization member in his way, and tried to hide behind the wall.

"I know you're there," came the cocky voice, "Come on out and I can make it painless."

Pete gulped, and stepped into the open. He didn't recognize this one, either. She was tall. Really tall, in fact! Pete watched as a pink petal floated down into her hand, and an enormous pink and green scythe appeared, which she brandished readily, "Good boy."

"Jee, miss, are ya feelin sick? I wouldn't wanna fight you when you're not at your best, you don't sound so great," he said, trying his best to sound confident.

The Nobody got red in the face, dropping her weapon to her side and screaming, "I'm a man, you idiot!"

Pete narrowed his eyes, leaning in close, then waved his hands dismissively, "Naaaawwww." Then, catching a glimpse maybe he was wrong, he leaned forward again, peering closely at the Nobody, "Naaaawwww."

The Nobody clenched…it's….fists, "That's it. No mercy."

A flurry of petals and a huge gust of wind caused Pete to stumble back a bit. Before he knew it three quick slashes of the scythe left him on the ground in a heap of agony, "Aaaagh!"

Just before the fourth, and Pete assumed killing blow, could land, however, a wall of green flame cut him off from the battle, as Maleficent appeared. "Pete! Get up!"

Pete struggled to his feet, clenching his fists in determination and pain, "Ma..Maleficent? How-?"

"Fool, you think I didn't notice my own castle being invaded?"

The Nobody leveled his scythe at Maleficent, "You're just squatters. We're reclaiming our rightful kingdom."

As he spoke, Pete cringed at the sound of giggling, as a huge bolt of lightning shot out from the side corridor and struck Maleficent. It was the one from before, Larxene.

Another Nobody appeared behind them, this one wielding a huge tomahawk. Pete turned to face him, and ran at him, his reflexes managing to catch the weapon between his hands. Pete snickered to himself, _Ha! Finally! I really can take these guys on, after all! Yeah, I just needed a level playing field, brute force on brute…_ Pete lost his train of thought when he realized the Nobody was using only one hand to wield to his weapon, while he needed both to keep it deadlocked. The Nobody's free hand balled into a fist and slugged Pete in the face, sending him flying back.

Maleficent finally seemed to think she was outclassed, looking worriedly between her three opponents. Placing a hand on the fallen Pete's shoulder, she glowered at them, "Don't think you've won this castle so easily." And with a wave of her staff, she and Pete shimmered and vanished.

"You honestly couldn't destroy her?" a voice asked. The three turned to see Xigbar, only he wasn't Xigbar anymore, he was Braig. A Braig with dark skin, and white hair. On the outside, he was like Braig, but on the inside, he was already Xehanort. A Vessel.

Larxene waved her hand dismissively, "Oh what harm can she do, she's-ah!" Larxene dropped to her knees, body writhing in pain. Marluxia tried to hide his distaste. Her twisting form was leaking Dark energy, as if she was being ripped open by it, the gaping holes into the void opening across her body like maws of death. Xehanort's hand was raised, his fingers slowly closing like a claw into a fist. Larxene tried to fight back any more undignified sounds, but eventually her voice cracked as she started screaming, her body giving in to throws of agony, slamming her head against the floor with sickening thuds in an attempt to deaden her senses.

Deciding his point was made, Xehanort released her, "Maleficent has had full run of this castle for nearly a year. There's no telling what she knows. What if she joins forces with Yen Sid's army again?" Larxene only panted, hand over her chest as the "wounds" sealed up, gritting her teeth and glaring at him through watery eyes. Xehanort turned to Lexaeus, "See to it that there aren't any more surprise visitors."

Lexaeus nodded, heading up a nearby stairway.

"Marluxia," the Braig form of Xehanort said, "I need you to head to Wonderland. Take this one with you," he nodded his head at the still panting Larxene, her body aching so badly she dared not move from the undignified position he left her in.

"Of course," Marluxia answered curtly.

After he had left, Larxene gritted her teeth, "I'm going to kill him, one day." A fresh flow of tears dropped down her cheeks from the effort of moving her jaw.

Marluxia sighed, "It's our fate to become like him. You remember what he told us about Xion. We either absorb our true selves, or wither into nothing."

Larxene's eyes said she wanted to snap at him, but she said nothing, probably not assuming the pain would be worth it.

"When you're better, come find me," Marluxia said, continuing in the direction he had been headed before the interruption.

* * *

><p>Riku and Ventus stepped out onto the Radiant Garden. Ventus looked around as Riku sat down for a bit, looking a bit tired, "Wow, it looks…injured, from the last time I was here."<p>

"A lot's happened since you've been asleep," Riku said absent-mindedly, stretching his shoulder. "This place was the domain of the Heartless for nine years."

"The Heartless," Ventus murmured as he looked for familiar landmarks, "Aqua told me about those." Ventus looked unsure for a moment, then turned to Riku, "Riku, I've been wondering…"

"Yeah?"

Ventus wet his lips, "That blindfold…and your hair…I recognize it. I recognize you. Why do I recognize you?"

Riku tilted his head, "I'm…not sure. Well, I have a guess, but," Riku put his hand to his chin in thought, "I was under the impression Roxas would remain in Sora. So you shouldn't possess his memories."

"That was Sora's…what's it…his Nobody?" Ventus asked sheepishly.

"That's right."

Ventus scratched his head, "Yeah, kind of hard to get caught up on 13 years of bad guys and keyblade users."

Riku smiled, "You're doing remarkably well."

"Thanks," Ventus blushed, "So, about Roxas?"

Riku paused, laying back against the wall he was up against, averting his gaze, even though Ventus couldn't see his eyes through the blindfold anyway, "It's…difficult to talk about. I'm rather…ashamed of what I did back then."

Ventus kneeled down, "You guys fought, didn't you?"

"That's right." Riku didn't speak for almost a minute. A soft breeze blew through the alleyway, as if turning the scene back on, "But it was more than that. It was my job…to be Ansem's enforcer. Namine was the one who convinced him to let us…" Riku ground his teeth a few times, before settling on the right words, "to let us destroy him. But I was the one who had to make sure it happened."

Ventus sat silently, unsure of how to answer.

Riku continued, "I remember, Roxas leaving the Organization. I bargained with Ansem that as long as he wasn't around Xemnas, he wasn't a threat. He agreed. When that ceased being the case…"

"The video tower," Ventus said automatically, staring off into space past Riku.

Riku turned to face him now, "Yes, and-"

"And the rain," Ventus continued, "And the Oblivion, and the Oathkeeper. And the crushing Darkness…" Ventus' mouth moved a few more silent words as his voice trailed off.

"You really do remember," Riku sat amazed. He reached out a hand to Ventus' shoulder, but the blonde boy instinctively pulled away, a look of horror and anger on his face. Riku held his hand up, "Ventus…I am sorry. I really didn't want to. It was necessary. I tried to find ways out…" he bit his lip, hanging his head.

Ventus got up, pacing around. Riku wanted to say something but didn't feel anything he could say would be worth it. Eventually, Ventus put his hands on his hips, shaking his head, "That's why you gave me the box, isn't it? With the picture, and the…no," Ventus closed his eyes as a headache overtook him, cradling his forehead in his palm.

Riku now became truly suspicious, "I…Yes, that's why I preserved Roxas' memory. But…I gave those to Sora."

Ventus looked up, but still refused to face Riku, "I –know- that that's wrong."

Riku removed his blindfold, his eyes an orange color again after the trip. He couldn't sense Ventus with his Darkness senses. Ventus didn't emit a single spec of it. But something was wrong, "How much of Sora did you take with you?" he whispered to no one in particular.

Before the pair could continue their conversation, several creatures materialized around them, enormous, emblazoned with the symbol Lea had described, the heart with two axes.

"Unversed!" Ventus cried, summoning forth a keyblade. Riku drew forth Road to Dawn, eyeing down the creatures. Several of them were winged, and swooped down at the pair. Ventus leaped on the wall, using it to vault upward and slash at two of the creatures, destroying them. Riku watched with amazement as Ventus seemed to anticipate everything about the Unversed's attacks. Not wanting to feel useless, Riku charged one of the giant ones, some fist brawler who swung so hard the ground shook when it missed him. Focusing on his keyblade, Riku manifested an orb of Light at the tip, and swinging down, it exploded in a flash when it impacted the Unversed, destroying it completely. Angling Road to Dawn upward, a stream of mixed Light and Darkness projected from the tip, piercing one of the flying ones and destroying it also.

"Over here!" a light feminine voice called from the walkway above them. Riku looked up but his gaze was caught halfway up by the spinning form of Yuffie, who landed directly in front of him, springing to her feet and saluting cutely, "Yo!"

"Yuffie!" Riku blurted out.

"Yup, and…who's this?" she said, spinning around, looking Ventus in the face. "Did Sora dye his hair?"

"No, I'm Ven!" he said, pointing to himself conclusively.

"Huh, another keyblade?" she asked examining his weapon.

"Oh! Wayward Wind, yeah!" Ven said, holding up his blade.

Yuffie wiggled her eyebrows, "Looks kinda dumpy."

"Hey!"

Riku chuckled as the two argued over what a proper weapon should look like.

"So, what are you guys doing here?"

Riku placed his bindfold back on his eyes, "We're here about the Unversed."

"Ah so you know about them!"

"Did Lea tell you?" Ven asked.

Yuffie shook her head, "No, some guy in a black coat. He was awfully helpful. Told us all about them. I thought they were nothing but trouble," she shrugged helplessly, "Guess they aren't all bad."

Riku looked concerned, _Lea's friend, maybe?_

Yuffie seemed to be oblivious to it, "Well, either way, I'm glad you two are here!"

Some patrollers finally caught up with Yuffie, lacking her agility and having to run around the cobblestone roads. She turned to them, "Riku! Ven! I'm officially deputizing you!" she nodded with complete sincerity.

"Yeah!" Ven held his fist up with enthusiasm.

"Right! Off to the command center! Squall will want to know you're both here!"

Ven nodded and ran off, of course as soon as he reached a fork in the road he looked around confused, then finally to Yuffie, "Uh, which way?"

Riku shook his head, suppressing a smile and following Yuffie to Squall's headquarters.


	8. Chapter 8  Mind, Body, and Soul

Aqua and Ansem found themselves in the dark. Ansem looked around, recognizing the features, "Twilight Town."

Aqua examined the darkened shops and cobbled streets, "Do you think there's any useful information here?"

Ansem extended his hand, indicating a road for her to take, "I'm not sure, but I know where to begin."

Aqua tried to break the silence, "So…are your memories returning?"

"Indeed," Ansem nodded, "Though only my memories of the last time I was here. My time as the so-called 'Ansem the Wise' is a complete mystery to me. Perhaps it is one trip too many to the Realm of Darkness," he looked up at the moon longingly, "Perhaps I have lost that part of my soul."

Biting her lip, Aqua decided to say nothing, fearing it would sound patronizing. Changing the subject, "So where are we headed?"

"To my base of operations, where we hid Sora from Organization XIII. Roxas destroyed most of my computers, but perhaps there are some other clues he did not ruin."

"This Roxas," Aqua mused, "I hear so many things about him, everyone's been comparing Ven to him since we got back. But, not everything about him seems to be good."

Ansem nodded, "Roxas was…a very troubled boy. Of the many sins I committed, the way I allowed my prejudice to taint my vision of him is perhaps the most shameful. Or perhaps second, to what I did to Riku."

Aqua's interest perked up, "Riku?"

"Ah," Ansem looked embarrassed. Aqua surmised he was blushing, though the dark of the night hid it from her, "I…encouraged Riku to embrace his Dark powers. To a dangerous degree. He almost lost his Heart, but my vengeance…it blinded me to the cost it had on my friends. He not only wore the robes, but he tore a strip to wear as a blindfold, for every last bit of protection." Aqua looked concerned, though Ansem seemed oblivious as he continued his confessional. Truth be told, Aqua's mind was no longer present. She was remembering the battle in the tower, and how frightening Riku had looked. It welled up similar feelings in her that she had for Terra and Ven, the need to protect. Ansem kept on with his story, "It was only when he appeared to me, looking like Xehanort, that I realized what I'd done. And then it was too late. And still I demanded, still I asked terrible favors from him. I wouldn't allow myself to be denied my revenge…"

Aqua shook her head, trying to put a more pleasant spin on the way Ansem interpreted his memories, "But the two of you protected him, right? You guarded Sora all that time?"

Ansem gave an affirmative grunt, "Mm, and Namine. But a year had passed, she wasn't a tenth of the way there. Time was our enemy, in the end. Ah! Here," Ansem pointed up the road. Aqua looked to see a large mansion with a steel gate.

* * *

><p>Lea, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy were also in the black of night. Donald was the first to recognize the rose garden, "Ah! Beast's Castle!"<p>

"Beast?" Lea asked.

"Aw gawrsh, he's not a real beast," Goofy said, "He's really a nice guy!"

"He's only nice when Belle's around," Donald said cynically.

"Well let's head inside," Kairi offered, to which the other three nodded.

Approaching the doors, Lea drew his weapon, putting a finger to his lips for quiet, pointing at the huge wooden doors, "Look, it's just open. Someone's probably inside."

The others nodded, drawing their weapons. As they walked up the steps, Lea waved them back, gently placing his palm on the door, creaking it open and peeking in. Not noticing anyone, he waved the others in, and lit his keyblade into a torch. All about the castle halls were tipped suits of armor, scratched and torn paintings, broken tables, and other signs of battle. Lea reached down and wiped his finger over one of the broken wooden tables, examining them, "No dust. This is recent."

Donald illuminated his wand into a flashlight, "Lea," he whispered, "you go to the east wing, we'll take the west," he indicated with his wand. Lea nodded, headed up the stairs and into the dark unknown.

Kairi had her keyblade drawn, but her gut didn't tell her there was going to be any danger. Whatever battle had been going on seemed to be over.

Goofy stepped over to a door, creaking it open slowly, "Hello? Anybody in here?" he stuck his head in, peeking around, but saw no one in the darkness.

Donald looked worried, almost scared of the dark castle ruin. Whatever had happened here, it was major, and hadn't left many to talk about it.

As they neared the end of the hall, none of the rooms turning up survivors, Kairi heard a loud creak as a chair skidded along the floor at the end of the hall, "Hello?" she called out, stepping forward hesitantly. Goofy put his arm in front of her, using his keen ears to listen, and heard a soft thud. Looking at each other for an instant, the three friends dashed off to the far room. Goofy charged in first, holding his shield in front of him for protection, peeking over the top to see the limp form of the Beast on the ground.

"Beast!" Donald cried out, as the three friends ran to his side. Kairi tried to turn him over, feeling something wet, and pulled her hand away. In the illumination from Donald's wand, she saw her hand soaked in lukewarm blood, a look of terror on her face as she wordlessly showed it to Donald. The court magician took his wand and cast his most powerful Cure spell on the Beast, over and over again trying to restore his energy. After about four such casts, the Beast groaned underneath them.

Goofy stood upright, scanning the room for any danger. All he noted was the Beast's rose, still glowing faintly, but with far fewer petals than he remembered.

Beast opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Kairi and Donald, "Who-?...Donald…"

"Try not to move," Kairi held the Beast's head, almost feeling like she was the one in pain.

"Beast, what happened?" Goofy asked, still looking very alert and concerned.

"They…" Beast grunted, shifting his body and howling as he removed a huge splinter from his thigh, "They came again…those things…in the hoods…"

"The Organization," Donald spat.

"Yes, only," Beast winced, "This time, they came with the villagers. Overran…overran the castle…they took Belle," he tried to lift himself up with his arms, but he whined a wolf-like whimper in pain and slumped back to the floor, Kairi trying to stabilize him despite the fact he was many times her size. "And...the big one…the hunter from the town…he left me here."

Beast's head lulled to the side, looking across his private chambers. Kairi followed his gaze to see an enormous knife and a trail of blood from it to where Beast currently lay, the weapon which probably caused the wound that stained her hands now. Kairi's eyes widened with shock as she looked at the Beast, "He tried to kill you?"

"The cloaked man…stopped him," Beast whined again, "Told him, he wanted my Heart to break."

Donald's brow furrowed, but did little to hide how enraged he was over their actions, "Xehanort's not content with just his Organization. He wants Heartless to join his war after we kicked his butt."

"Oh yeah," Goofy said, "they tried to turn Beast into a Heartless before, didn't they?"

"And Maleficent before that," Donald added.

"Do you know where they took her?" Kairi asked.

"Back to the village...we have to…have to rescue her," Beast grunted.

"No, we'll handle that," Kairi nodded affirmatively, "first you need to be put up to rest."

Lea was encountering only emptiness on his end of the castle. He wandered into an enormous library, pausing for a moment in awe of all the books. He looked upwards at the vaulted ceiling._ Man, would take a lifetime to read all these things._

As he closed the door, he became aware of another presence. Readying his keyblade, he kept walking down the long corridor, seeing at the end a long, twisting staircase. He could only make out the faintest of sounds and ran towards it, going up the twisting staircase to hear the sounds more clearly. It was definitely voices.

As he quieted his steps and snuffed out his flame, using his hands for guidance along the stairs up the tower, Lea began to recognize the voices. It was certainly some of his old comrades in arms. He certainly recognized the distinctive voice of Even, but the other was a mystery.

"How much longer, Vexen?" the loud one asked.

"I told you, he must first fall to darkness, but this process is not a certainty."

Lea snuck up until he could just barely see the doorway, but he couldn't see the two figures who were conversing.

"It would be easier to simply crush him."

"Master Xehanort," Vexen began, but it caught Lea off guard. _Master Xehanort? That doesn't sound anything like Xehanort. If anything he sounds like…_ "Did you not say yourself you lacked the finesse to turn him directly into a Heartless?"

The one Vexen called Xehanort paused, then, "My prime form could do it surely. But this body is so new, I am adjusting." Then, "Do you smell something?"

Lea hurried as quietly as he could down the stairs. He had to get Kairi out of here.

A few moments later he had sprinted down to where the others were caring for the Beast, "Kairi! We have to get you away from here!"

Kairi looked up from where she was placing a wet cloth over Beast's wounds, "What? I'm not leaving now."

"We don't have a choice," Lea answered hastily, "Xehanort's here. He doesn't know you're here though, but they sensed me, so they'll be here soon."

"Actually," a tempered voice came from the Beast's balcony, "I'm already here."

Damnit, Lea spat at himself for being so clumsy.

Lea cast his flames for light again and held up his palm-made-torch to get a better look at him. It wasn't Xehanort though, not entirely. It was Isa. Isa with dark skin, and white hair.

Lea spun his keyblade, firing a huge wave of fire at Xehanort, who easily shielded himself behind his darkness. He seemed unaffected by this though, simply continuing his conversation, "Princess. I will be taking you now."

Donald ran over to stand between Kairi and Isa-Xehanort. Lea turned to him, "Donald! Activate the Star Shard! We can use it to escape!"

"No!" Beast grunted, "He still has Belle."

Donald seemed unsure, but cautiously added, "We can't control the shard yet, Lea. We may never get back to rescue her."

Kairi stood up, brandishing her keyblade, "We can't just sacrifice one of the Princesses because Xehanort is here."

Lea didn't look pleased, but turned to face his old friend, "Isa, if you're still in there, now would be a great time for some help."

"There is no Isa, boy," Xehanort smiled, "only me. And soon there will not be any you, Axel."

"That isn't my name anymore."

Xehanort only smiled, "It will be."

Before he could ask what he meant by that, a portal opened up behind Xehanort as Vexen stepped out, "Giving the Beast this false hope will only delay the process of him becoming a Heartless. I'd rather you all left now so we can deal with you later."

"Vexen!" Lea shouted, "You can't be with this guy?"

"I am what I am," Vexen said despondently, "Our old lives have no meaning now. But as I recall, you killed me."

Lea paused, "I was ordered to kill you, Vexen. Xemnas felt you were too close to finding the cure without Kingdom Hearts."

"He told you that?" Vexen asked.

Lea shook his head, "In the Realm of Sleep, I put the pieces together after talking to Even. But it was nothing personal."

Vexen paused for a moment. Even Xehanort looked at him strangely, unsure if he would turn against him. But then, he summoned forth his blue shield, "Neither is this, Axel."

A wave of ice and fire clashed, sending concussive shockwaves through the room. Lea charged at Vexen, and they battled onto the balcony, eventually drawing their fight to the roof.

Xehanort turned to the three who remained before him, "Now, Princess, if you will come with me, you are a piece to this puzzle."

Donald readied his own fire spell in his wand, "Not on your life."

Xehanort chuckled, "You should listen to your friend Lea and leave. It's too late for Belle."

"What are you going to do to her?" Kairi asked, narrowing her eyes.

"When she's sufficiently broken, and I have gathered all the Princesses" Xehanort shrugged, "I will use the lock within her Light to unite the Realms. One, single, unified world. A world which I will consume in Darkness. She's too strong willed right now, however," Xehanort drew a keyblade, "That's what the villagers are for."

Donald fired his blast at him, but it was deflected easily. Kairi ran up to him and began attacking, throwing blows out laced with her own Light energy, which Xehanort seemed unprepared for. Goofy positioned himself behind Xehanort and took a few swings, but he was easily evaded by the Keyblade Master. In only a few seconds, Xehanort delivered several powerful blows with his oversized keyblade on Donald and Goofy, knocking them both out of the fight. With only Kairi as his enemy, he was better able to evade her illuminated blade.

Kairi was looking tired already. Fighting was new to her, she hadn't practiced all her life like Sora or Riku. Even Selphie had done some sparring with the boys when they were little. She greatly regretted not being part of that at this moment.

In a moment of clarity, she drew inspiration from Riku's battle with Xehanort, and binding power into the tip of her blade, it sprayed a radiant light across the room, totally encompassing Xehanort in its power.

Xehanort grunted, falling to his knees in pain, and as he turned his head up he was greeted by the massive paw of the Beast, who knocked him clean out of the window, over the balcony, and onto the roof.

A shocked Kairi turned to the Beast, who instantly collapsed, panting hard from the exertion.

Xehanort, not being able to see into the room, assumed the Beast was still up. He also happened to notice Vexen was being torn apart by Lea, and summoned a dark portal to whisk his ally away. A flabbergasted Lea looked around a bit, but then saw Xehanort, and fired a few fireballs at him. Xehanort summoned his own portal, retreating.

* * *

><p>"When's this Squall guy gonna get back?" Ven said, arms behind his head relaxing, "We've been here for hours."<p>

"Not that long," Riku quietly corrected him.

"Patrols have gotten more dangerous lately," Yuffie reminded him over her shoulder, "he could have been held up pretty easily. Probably just dispatching some Unversed." She turned back to Riku, whom she had been curiously interested in since encountering him back in the alley. Riku, for his part, was trying to ignore it. She had tried showing him her Materia collection, but he didn't seem too curious in it.

"Hey there he is!" Ven exclaimed, looking out the window. True enough, Squall, Aerith, and Cid were turning the corner and headed in. Yuffie looked bright and cheerful, as always, on greeting them, "Squall! Look who's here!" pointing with both hands towards Riku in quite possibly the least subtle possible.

"Riku!" he looked surprised, then gave a small smile, "I heard from the King you became a Keyblade Master since I saw you last."

Riku looked a little embarrassed by this, running a hand through his platinum hair, "Oh, I guess I did. But I don't think I'm any more qualified than Sora."

"Sora's never been what you call a…tactical thinker," Cid commented from the back, headed over to his own desk and stack of papers. "He'll learn, better not inflate his head any more than it has to be though until then, know what I'm sayin'?" he added with a thumb to his nose to indicate the well-natured jab. "By the way, where is the kid?"

Riku looked uncomfortable, "Asleep. Again. He's in…some kind of coma. Yen Sid said he'll contact us when he recovers", then seeming to realize something, "Oh, Squall, everyone," he gestured to Ven, "this is Ventus. He's a keyblade wielder we recently saved from Xehanort."

"More keyblade users?" Aerith asked.

Ven puffed up his chest a bit with a grin, "That's right! I'm a knight!"

Squall stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Don't think I've heard of a keyblade knight before."

Ven paused, suddenly looking sullen, "Well, there's only two of us left. Master Xehanort destroyed the others. We've barely been able to survive since it happened."

Riku jumped in, "There isn't too much difference between their powers and ours," he said, referencing Yen Sid's order of keyblade users. "They just happened to appear in another part of the universe. It was Xehanort who let our two groups meet." He turned to Squall again, clenching his fist, "And we're going to make him pay, together."

Cid snorted a bit from the back, "More keyblades…just handin' out the things today, aren't they?"

Ven, who didn't seem used to Cid's cynical sense of humor, looked indignant, "Hey, I earned this every bit as much as the next guy, see?" and he threw out his hand, materializing his keyblade.

Yuffie gasped, "Hey! It's a lot prettier than before!"

Confused, Ven looked down to his hand. His blade was there, only it was white. A small heart shape composed the tip, and long, pink and yellow tinted beams composed the shaft. The teeth were in a word that Ven could read as meaning "light", and there was a heart where the blade met the handle, which was guarded by two angelic wings. Ven scratched his head with his free hand, "Now I'm feeling confused…" he turned the blade around, not knowing it exactly but feeling it familiar.

Squall didn't say anything, not personally recognizing the blade. He looked at Riku, who's expression was surprised, and concerned. The boy had an intensity to him that seemed to conflict with his generally laid-back demeanor, "Riku?"

Riku frowned. _The spare memories are one thing. This is completely different_. "Ven," he asked, "do you remember that blade's name?"

Ven looked to Riku, more innocent and confused than anything, "I'm…not sure. Does it have a meaning?"

Riku's thoughts raced, "Wait…" he rudely seized the blade from Ven, turning It around to look at the keychain.

"Hey, I recognize that!" Ven said, sounding proud of himself, "It looks like these lucky charms that Aqua gave us before our journey. Only, we didn't have a pink-ish colored one."

Riku shook his head, "That's because Aqua didn't make this one. Kairi did." Riku turned up, even though his eyes were covered, to stare at Ven, "This is Sora's Oathkeeper."

* * *

><p>In the quiet of the Tower, there came a sudden inhale. A gasp of life, as Sora's body stretched itself out, letting out a long, gentle exhale. Rubbing his eyes, he suddenly shot upright, "Kairi? Donald? Riku?" he looked around, seeing only the empty room.<p>

He moved off the table where he had been laid, and started to shuffle his legs a bit, getting feeling back into them. Man, feels like I've been asleep for days.

As he ascended the spiral stairs, Sora couldn't help but brush his hands over the stones of the castle. Everything felt different. It was as if he had fallen asleep with a filter over his eyes and now a new one was in its place. Only not just how he saw things, but the way things felt when he touched them. The way they smelled. Every little hair along the back of his neck even vibrated differently from the gentle breeze of air as he opened a door_. Is this what being separated from Ventus meant?_

Sora finally made his way to the place where answers lay, Yen Sid's chamber. He pushed open the door to see the sorcerer sitting at his desk studying notes. Looking up, his eyes widened, "Sora! You're awake!"

Sora only nodded, deathly numb looking to his surroundings.

Yen Sid held up the book on his desk, "I was analyzing Xehanort and Ansem's notes on the Heart, hoping to find a solution to wake you. But I am glad that you have managed to break free from your sleep without my help."

Sora walked up to the desk, looking down at the book and turning it to face him. As his eyes browsed the pages of Ansem's diary, he found himself knowing what it said. He began to voice it out loud, "Will my people cease to smile?" He began to walk towards the window, still continuing his narration.

Yen Sid spun the book back, looking at the words, now Sora was repeating lines on a page he had not even seen.

"If the Light of hope has been extinguished, I shall henceforth walk with Darkness as a friend…unh!" Sora clutched at his forehead, doubling over in pain.

"Sora!"

But the boy froze, chuckling softly, "Of course," his voice was somehow, deeper. More despondent and less animated than his normal cheery self, "I can see all of it now. All of their knowledge, Ansem and Xehanort…it makes so much sense!" Sora stood upright, looking out the window.

Yen Sid turned to face him, a look of genuine concern, "Sora, are you alright?"

Not even Yen Sid's jaded face could hide the shock when Sora turned to face him, his eyes were the solid gold of Darkness.

"Sora.." Yen Sid stood upright, but Sora's outstretched hand blasted him with a force that sat him back down.

"Don't get up. Please," Sora said coldly.

"Sora," Yen Sid leveled his voice, the clouds of thunder behind it as potent as ever, "Clearly there was an error in the procedure. Allow me to assist you in returning-"

"No returning," Sora's raised voice commanded, then in a moment fading to his quiet demeanor of before, "Don't you get it? I've woken up. Not just physically, but mentally as well. I remember it all. Castle Oblivion, Ansem's reports, Xehanort's data, my time as Roxas. I can see it all, in here," Sora tapped his head, sneering, "I'm finally awake old man."

Yen Sid shook his head, "No, Sora. I don't know how it happened, but you're obviously not yourself."

"Perhaps I was always meant to be this way. No more Ven, no more Roxas. Just ordinary Sora."

Closing his eyes, Yen Sid focused, shattering Sora's ethereal hold on him, and standing up, summoning his keyblade, Star Seeker, to his side. He readied himself for a fight, "I will try not to hurt you, Sora."

Sora summoned his own Kingdom Key, but only held it limply at his side. Yen Sid saw a flash of silver in front of his face, drawing Star Seeker to protect himself instinctively. Suddenly he had Sora locked in a duel. The boy spun around in a whirlwind, striking at Yen Sid several times but never connecting with a blow. Drawing a hand to his mouth, Yen Sid took a deep breath, exhaling a huge blast of ice magic at Sora, crystals of ice crawling over his body. He only felt pity when Sora glared at him with his golden eyes, a look of irrepressible rage buried inside them.

Stepping forward, Yen Sid aimed his keyblade at Sora's chest, the tip glowing in Light as he twisted it, to unlock the boy's Heart and hopefully set it right. But after a few seconds, it was clear something was wrong, _The Light…where is the Light_? Yen Sid dug deeper, but all he encountered inside Sora was Darkness.

From his frozen restraint, Sora chuckled, "Haven't you figured it out yet, old man?" he looked into Yen Sid's eyes with raw contempt, "I have." Without any apparent effort, Sora's ice prison shattered, and he drove his keyblade into Yen Sid's chest. Twisting it, he found what he was looking for. As Yen Sid dropped his keyblade, clattering on the floor before evaporating in a sheath of Light, Sora stood upright to whisper in his ear, "You made this. And now I'll thank you for making me this way." Yen Sid only wordlessly watched as Darkness began pouring out of his heart where Sora had made contact.

Sora felt a small touch of satisfaction at what he saw then. It was as if a veil had lifted, restoring the world to the beauty he remembered it when Yen Sid's stoic face expressed fear. The first time anyone had shown fear at Sora. He rather liked the sensation, purposefully dragging out the process as the Darkness slowly swallowed Yen Sid up like a cocoon. When it faded, Yen Sid was nowhere to be seen. Outside, a black and red storm opened up, as an enormous Darkside Heartless fell from the sky, crashing into the ground. Sora folded his arms, smirking, "Hello, Yen Sid."

Looking down at his Kingdom Key, Sora reached over, plucking the symbol of the King from the blade. Taking his own crown necklace, he attached it to his weapon, watching at it warped from silver to a black onyx, a corruption that passed not only over the keychain, but over the blade itself, the guard turning into demonic wings, and a long chain binding the will of the keyblade running up the hold and shaft. The teeth formed into a word that Sora recognized as meaning "darkness", with a pointed end like a gothic castle post. Sora swung his blade a few times, practicing the new balance of the blade, and gave a self-satisfied smile, his features far crueler and sadistic than they had ever been.

"Welcome, Oblivion."


	9. Chapter 9 With No Plan

"Sora?" Ven's bewildered expression was unchanging, "How did I get a Keyblade from Sora?"

Wordlessly, Riku spun around, waving his hand in front of himself and opening a dark portal.

"Wait, no!" Ven shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder, "Yen Sid said it's dangerous, and you –just- used one of those things!"

"Riku, where are you going?" Squall asked a little more to the point.

"The tower," Riku said flatly, "Something is very wrong, and I need to find out what. Yen Sid will know."

"You can't be sure," Ven said, "We need to stick together. I promise I'll go back with you as soon as we're done here, and after you've had time to recover."

"I'll be fine," Riku said curtly, sounding more irritated.

"You're not fine," Ven countered, "Show me your eyes if you're fine." Riku simply averted his gaze, saying nothing. "That's what I thought. You can't risk it."

Riku suddenly threw off Ven's hand and pushed him against the wall, pinning him there, "Sora could be in danger! Or hurt, or lost in the Realm of Darkness! I need to help him!" He pushed off Ven and went straight for the portal, when he saw Squall's gunblade blocking his way.

"Riku," he tried to sound as even tempered and calm as possible, "If you get lost in the Realm of Darkness, who's going to save you this time? Sora's not going to be able to help you."

"Exactly, he was there for me. I need to be there for him," Riku started to sound desperate. Squall figured he knew he was in the wrong already, but he clung to his loyalty to Sora.

"Riku," Ven said quietly, "I know how you feel. Gosh, I feel worse. It's –because- of me that Sora's asleep. Believe me when I say I know how you feel. When Vanitas threatened Terra…my first impulse was to chase him."

Riku nodded, his voice quiet now too, "But you didn't."

"No, I did," Ven kept on, "And I nearly destroyed my two best friends doing it." There was a pause in the entire room, everything still except for the movement of Riku turning to face Ven, "Whatever this problem is, it can wait until we're prepared to deal with it. But while we're here…" he put his hand on Riku's shoulder comfortingly, "We have a mission, so the others can do their missions."

"But I just know something's wrong," Riku protested feebly.

"Riku," Yuffie stepped forward, "I remember when Sora first came to Traverse Town. He was full of guilt, but he knew he would find you again. You'll find him, too. You're too close to be separated now." She leaned forward, sticking her face in front of him with a child-like grin, "Like Ven was saying, you all have missions. You have to trust your friends to handle their parts, and you have to uphold yours to make sure their mission was meaningful."

Sighing, looking defeated, Riku lowered his head, "Fine," he waved the portal closed.

Squall nodded at the Keyblade Master, "The pressure of leadership. Not easy your first time commanding, is it?"

Riku winced, "No, not really. Truth is I'm used to being on my own, doing my thing. Even when I was taking orders, I did it my way."

Yuffie swung an arm around him, "Yen Sid must have seen other qualities."

Riku snorted a bit, then started laughing, "Actually, if what Mickey says is true, he just seems to pass us if we survive without getting captured."

Aerith cracked a smile. Cid just raised an eyebrow.

Squall sheathed his sword, "Right, so, shall we deal with this Unversed problem? Problem is we still don't know a lot about fighting them."

Riku looked up, a faint smile on his lips, "Well, Captain, we just happen to have an expert on the Unversed."

* * *

><p>A lone vase crashed to the stone floor as Kairi fell to her knees, the glass shattering like her own heart upon the floor.<p>

"Kairi!" Goofy called, hurrying to her side.

"Sora.." she whispered.

Donald came up to her, "What about Sora?"

But Kairi didn't respond, only clutching at her chest, which was in incredible pain. Nothing felt right inside her at all. It was as if her heart had burst and the emotions normally contained within were cascading down her insides. When he had defeated Ansem, she had felt his Heart sever from hers as he became trapped in the Realm of Darkness. This feeling was worse. Ten times worse. In desperation she reached out, trying to contact him, as she had contacted Roxas when he was in Twilight Town. But she found nothing. She wandered in her mind's eye more, searching for him.

She finally sensed what must be Sora, she was hopeful. But as she got closer she felt colder, in pain. Her entire body burned like it was frostbitten, until she snapped out of her trance, chest heaving from the effort.

"Kairi! Kairi!" Donald was shaking her. His face softened when he noticed her tears, burning hot as they ran down her face, dropping into the water that the shattered vase had spilled.

"Yo, what's-" Lea came in, but stopped when he saw Kairi on the floor.

"Sora…" she meekly whimpered, clenching her fists.

Lea stepped up next to Goofy, "What is it? What's the matter with Sora?"

Goofy shook his head, "I'm not sure. But I feel afraid for him, too."

Lea raised an eyebrow at the captain of the guard. _These bonds…are these the true bonds of the Heart I was looking for?_ Lea tapped Donald on the shoulder, relieving him, and jerking his thumb at the Beast, who was still wounded on the ground. Donald nodded and walked over to tend some more care on him, leaving Lea to monitor Kairi.

"Goofy!" Lea was very much business again, "Scout the castle, try to find any survivors, or stray villagers. We need to get Belle back, we'll need every advantage."

Goofy saluted smartly, eyes all business. Or as much as the Captain of the King's Guard ever got business, before heading out the door.

Lea turned back to Kairi, putting a hand on her shoulder, just in time to see her collapse into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>On the observation deck of the fortress in The World That Never Was, Xehanort looked over the shadowy, stormy remnants of his world. The constant chaos in the sky and sounds of thunder always put him at ease. Watching space and time tear itself apart in the night sky gave him constant reassurance that he saw only the truth. That it was in the universe's nature to be consumed in darkness and war.<p>

A hooded figure appeared behind him, immediately pulling its hood back to reveal Vexen, "You called?"

Xehanort paused, nodding to the view, "Look at this chaos outside in the sky. You can see where bits of Light exist to define the rest of the blackness. They are little battlefields, where the Light exists to give the Darkness purpose." Without waiting for a response, he reached his hand up, grasping at the clouds of smoke and plasma that stormed in the night sky here, "There will be losses. There will always be setbacks. Like Sora. But ultimately they will all be overcome."

Vexen merely grunted in curt agreement. Once before Xehanort had felt threatened enough by his opinions to have him executed at Castle Oblivion. This time he was playing his cards closer to the vest.

Xehanort paused for what seemed like minutes, before lowering his arm. Then, casually, changed the subject, "Yen Sid has been killed."

This information certainly caught Vexen's attention, "Did you finish him off? I wasn't aware we were going to battle him again."

Xehanort shook his head, "No. It wasn't me."

"Then…?"

"I'm not sure," Xehanort said quietly, hand coming to his chin in thought. "I wasn't aware there were Dark wielders with that kind of power."

"Except for Riku," Vexen added quickly, perhaps with a little bit of spite.

"Yes, I suppose he was capable. But I don't believe it. Even if Riku could defeat Yen Sid, which I doubt, he had no reason to. No," Xehanort turned to face Vexen, "There is another player on the board. An unknown variable."

Vexen tilted his head, his curiosity getting the better of his caution, "I do enjoy variables. But, how are you sure that Yen Sid is dead?"

Xehanort smiled, "The balance. I was expecting seven wielders. One of them is gone now. And it was the centerpiece. That could only be Yen Sid's energy."

"Well, we're still short a thirteenth member," Vexen coldly reminded him.

"True," Xehanort replied. Vexen surmised he had no idea how to fill that void yet, but was keeping quiet not to lose face.

"Perhaps this unknown variable can fill that role?" the tenor voiced scientist suggested.

Xehanort considered for a moment, turning away again, "Perhaps. First we have to find him, whoever he is. Make it your top priority."

Vexen bowed slightly, "I'll do my best. I suppose one could c raft a tracking program that uses the Realm of Darkness as a signal amplifier. Such a large concentration of Dark energy couldn't go undetected for long. But, about that other matter, regarding the Princesses?"

"That will take some time before we're ready to move. It can wait a time."

"If you're certain."

As Vexen turned to leave, Xehanort spoke up, rather mockingly, Vexen thought, "You know, Vexen, I'm going to miss our little chats. Your mind is so keen, it will be a shame to lose it when you succumb to my essence."

Vexen silently scowled as he opened a dark gateway and left his master to his thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10 The Enigmatic Vorpal

Larxene felt a small, warm glow in her deepest recesses as she impaled a card soldier on her fist.

The other squad mates with him took pause, watching his flat, broad frame wriggling in the air before the blonde beauty tossed him aside, flashing her kunai at the rest.

Behind her, sighing like a defeated older brother, was Marluxia, his scythe resting on his shoulder. Larxene tended to take to her work with enthusiasm and leave very little for himself. Not that he minded having an attack dog in the woman, but she was often a bit too theatric for the benefit of her own sadism.

Brushing his hair out of his face, "I told you, we only want to know where Alice is. All of this is really tedious." He looked up the courtyard to the balcony where the Queen of Hearts was waving her little fan impotently, "It's simple information. Don't make us do something we'll regret later."

"Or don't," Larxene giggled.

"Larxene…"

The Queen didn't seem too impressed with this, "No one is to utter the name of that enemy of the state!" She slammed her fists on the railing of her terrace, "Off with their heads already!"

Gripping the end of his scythe, Marluxia swung the reaper's blade across his front, sending a cutting wind through most of the card soldiers and slicing them to ribbons.

Larxene let out a wounded cry, "Marluxia!" The scythe wielder blinked, looking to his partner with shock, expecting to see he had accidentally wounded her, "Stop ruining my fun!" she pouted with hands on her hips, indicating the mostly devastated card soldiers.

Marluxia rolled his eyes and brushed past her, "We're wasting time, let's just see if there's someone who can tell us what's going on."

The few card soldiers who had survived were already shutting the large chamber doors of the Queen's castle. Their efforts to barricade it with their own bodies proved to be less impressive against another of Marluxia's mighty swings, and some more were shredded in the biting whirlwind that his impact caused.

Marluxia turned back to Larxene, nodding his head upward. Larxene seemed to understand, bringing her multiple daggers to bear, sparkling like her giddy smile as she rushed past him, fighting her way to the throne room and killing almost anything that got in her way.

Number 11 took a more direct path, opening a dark portal and simply emerging in the Queen's throne room. Or at least he thought it would be, he misfired a bit and ended up in her bedroom. As with everything else in her citadel, the Queen of Hearts bedroom was decorated in a tacky red and black, with a heart shaped bed and heart shaped windows. Maybe I'll let Larxene burn this place to the ground, would serve her taste of fashion right.

Marluxia swung his arm a bit, testing the flow of the Darkness and Light through his body. The Dark Corridors still weren't up to specs the last time he found himself a part of the Organization. Albeit, he had joined many years after Xemnas had formed the group, and had probably worked out all those kinks beforehand. Now the corridors were like roads untended, with brush and overgrowth crawling over them, hiding forks in the road and blocking your vision further down. Xehanort was slowly bringing them back to perfection, but gaps existed still in places rarely visited, like this Wonderland. In fact Marluxia had almost led them to an entirely different world altogether, he'd only just realized at the last moment and corrected himself.

The rumbling of an explosion let him know Larxene was still enjoying herself. Pushing through into the throne room from behind, Marluxia swung at one of the unsuspecting guards who were expecting the attack to come from the main door. The other three 10 cards who were assigned as the Queen's bodyguard turned to face him, but their animated faces revealed even they thought they had little hope of beating the Organization member, even without his psychotic harpy tagging along.

"Your majesty," Marluxia began in, his voice smooth with charm as he tried to worm his way into the Queen's good graces to get her to cough up the information, "We only need to know where one little girl is. Then I and my…companion…will leave." His plastered on smile twitched at the sound of another explosion somewhere deeper in the castle.

The Queen simply pointed at him, squealing at the top of her lungs, "Off with his head!"

Marluxia sighed, and took three swings, impaling each of the card soldiers on the end of his scythe, bound together and flailing their limbs trying to get free, but unable to get any traction. Pointing them at the balcony, Marluxia fired a wind of blurring petals that shot the three soldiers out into the courtyard to harmlessly flutter down to the ground.

Her guards defeated, the Queen's face turned almost as red as the décor in her palace. "Oohhh…Fine!" she screamed, stamping her feet, "I'll tell you. Let me get my looking glass…" she grumbled, moving past Marluxia into her bedroom, leaving a confused Nobody in her throne room. She soon returned wheeling a large mirror out, and put her hands on her hips with a huff, "Alice is said to have returned to her world. I don't know where she is. But I know who will."

"Who?"

"The caterpillar. His kind always knows. Go and see him and maybe…he can tell you where Alice is."

Larxene burst through the large doors of the throne room, tossing the body of some servant she found roaming the halls, "Am I late?"

"Right on time," Marluxia grinned, not taking his eyes off the Queen, "So, we go see the caterpillar. And what is the mirror for?"

"My looking glass can take you there," the Queen huffed, "I mean, they are special to this world. Alice came through one after all, they say." She waved her hands incessantly like shooing insects, "Now go and begone from my palace!"

Marluxia dismissed his scythe, looking to his partner, "Larxene? After you."

The blonde haired Nobody took a sauntering walk to the mirror, and pushing a hand on it, watched it bend and stretch like a balloon, making room for her, as she stepped into it. The moment her body was into the stretchy mess, the mirror snapped back into position, Larxene nowhere to be seen.

Marluxia followed, leaving the Queen's castle behind.

* * *

><p>Aqua rubbed her forehead, trying to piece together sentences from fragments of words on the edges of a broken computer screen. Several of the hard discs on Ansem's computers weren't destroyed, but most of the built in displays were totaled. They couldn't even transfer the data without the screen to confirm operations on the blasted machines.<p>

"Any luck?" Ansem asked walking into the room carrying a tray with tea and cups.

Aqua shook her head despondently, "I'm sorry, Ansem. There just isn't enough room to see what I'm looking at."

Ansem nodded, pouring his companion a cup of hot tea and handing it to her, which she accepted graciously, "It's been three days. And we have yet to find anything worthwhile. Truth be told, these discs may not have any relevant data to our cause. I have an idea…but I don't think it will be a good use of our resources."

Aqua threw her hands up helplessly, "Well, let's hear it. I don't think we're getting anywhere here. At least progress is progress."

Ansem smiled, "Well, we could bring the functioning computers to the Radiant Garden. There is a virtual network there we can use to explore the hard drive if we network them to the main computer system."

"That would work?"

"Oh, work of course," Ansem nodded, "But, getting there will be the difficult part. We won't be able to use the shards for some time if our experience with them mirrors Mickey's."

Aqua's lips twisted into a quizzical ponderance, "We'd have to carry these things on our person everywhere, too."

"Not the best method, no. But, it is an option."

Aqua sighed, her fingertips tracing circles over the rim of her tea cup.

After a long pause, Ansem spoke up again, "Aqua, you said that the secrets of your inter-planar travel were on your world. How might we get there?"

"You mean…the Land of Departure?" she asked. Ansem grunted in affirmation, "I turned it when I sealed Ven there. I left it as a fortress to forever guard him."

"A fortress? Fascinating. I wasn't aware one could do such a thing."

Aqua blushed, a little sheepish, "It's not exactly an approved method, but when Master Eraqus died, and Ven and Terra…I didn't see a point in the training center. So I unlocked the World's Heart and reshaped it to its new function."

"Does this world have a name?"

"Yes," Aqua said, taking a quick sip of her cup, "Castle Oblivion."

Ansem dropped his cup, not even paying attention as the hot liquid poured across the table like his wits, "You…You created Castle Oblivion?"

"Yes," Aqua nodded, "You've…heard of it, I take it?" she raised an eyebrow at the spilled cup and unusually blank-faced Ansem.

Ansem's expression grew more serious, "The Organization conquered Castle Oblivion. Sora drove them out the last time I was in the waking world."

"I had no idea," Aqua paused, "So, Xehanort had Ven? How did Yen Sid get him back?"

Ansem shrugged, "I would suppose the brief time that Master Xehanort was incorporeal in the Realm of Sleep, Yen Sid retrieved him when his defenses were down. Xemnas was almost certainly the one watching over him."

"And…that Roxas boy…" Aqua added longingly.

"Yes…I still don't understand what happened to him during his time in the Organization."

"You were always afraid to suppose information."

The pair turned to the doorway, where a man in a black cloak leaned against the door frame.

"You!" Ansem exclaimed.

"Yes, me," the figure answered. He stood upright, "I'm glad to see you both back in the Realm of Light."

Aqua's eyes were glaring at the uninvited guest, but she looked at Ansem, who seemed completely at ease. The old man laughed and spread his arms wide, "I recognize that voice now. Why don't you pull off that hood?"

Aqua saw the man look squarely at her. Understanding, she relaxed herself, standing upright, consciously forcing the ripple of relaxation to pour from the crown of her head down her body. Nodding, she watched him pull back the black hood, revealing long grey-blue locks of hair that covered one side of his face. He was also quite young, possibly her age or younger.

"Ienzo"

The boy shifted uncomfortably, "Zexion, if you will. I haven't quite earned the right to be called complete yet."

Ansem smiled, "Very well. It is an honor, Zexion."

"Ansem," Aqua regarded the newcomer warily, "How do you know this person?"

"Ah, Ienzo was my most trusted apprentice, a child prodigy when we took him in," Ansem explained.

Aqua looked to him again, half expecting the apprentice to wave off his old master's praise, but he seemed to take it stoically as if it were a natural fact.

Ansem continued, "But, I mostly remember him as Zexion. Number 6."

"One of Xehanort's clones?" Aqua guardedly asked. Her fingers twitched in anticipation of drawing Master Keeper.

"Something like that," Zexion answered, "Though, in the end Xemnas had me eliminated. Along with about half the Organization."

"Why would he destroy the people he hoped to possess?" Aqua tilted her head in confusion.

"Because Nobody or Heart, by extracting our…molds, in our Nobody forms, Xemnas already had all he needed for his Vessels. It's easier this way..." Zexion paused, looking at the broken screens the pair had been trying to make heads or tails of, "You are looking for information on Sora?"

"Sora? No, why? What happened to Sora?" Ansem's voice wavered some.

Zexion shrugged, "It was just a supposition. He and Ventus were so closely connected even Xemnas had trouble when he created Xion. It's only natural."

"Xion?" Ansem continued to press, "Who is Xion?"

Zexion rubbed a hand behind his head, "Well, that's complicated…she was a vessel, activated early. Roxas had a heart…Ventus' heart…" Zexion sighed, burying his face in his palms, pointing at the tea, "This will take some time to explain…you made extra, right?"

* * *

><p>Larxene expected caterpillars to be tiny. This one was quite large. And blue. She hadn't expected it to be so slow and dim. She was starting to wish she brought a book.<p>

Marluxia's patience was faring no better than Larxene's, "So, you say Alice is locked in the….other world?"

The caterpillar took a long drag from his pipe, blowing out little smoke rings and twisting water snakes that danced around them in the smoke before the images evaporated, "Indeed. The other world. Through the looking glass."

Marluxia considered beating the bug in the face with a rock until he spoke more sense. Then he thought about simply loosing Larxene on him. Pinching his brow and closing his eyes, Marluxia began again, "Is this another world? Or a different kingdom in your world?"

The caterpillar looked skyward, watching shapes in the clouds pass overhead. At the moment, there was a dragon battling a unicorn in the white and grey swirls, "It is fully separate of this place…and on this world."

Larxene swatted Marluxia on the shoulder, "We don't have time for this. Let's just kill him and find Alice ourselves? Someone else must know where she's hiding."

The caterpillar huffed in another deep breath of his hookah as Marluxia toyed with the idea of letting Larxene have her way. Larxene was almost glaring at Marluxia for chaperoning her on this excursion, when the caterpillar made her turn her head, "And you, Larxene, may prefer to hide in this world."

Larxene slowly turned, "What?"

The caterpillar waved one of his many arms around, indicating the forest of Wonderland, and another pointing at directly at the woman, "This place may be fit to hide. Your fears. Your sorrows."

Larxene bit her lip.

"You want to know where Alice is, answer me my question," the blue bug asked, placing the tip of the pipe in his mouth inquisitively. Lifting his mouth off it, smoke billowed out as his voice became gruffer, "What is it you are so afraid of?"

Larxene gave a forced laugh, waving her hand dismissively, "Oh, right, sure. What good is that to you."

Marluxia's brow twitched, "Larxene? Answer the damn question," he trembled with rage at her for being the roadblock now.

"There is no one to judge you, you know," the caterpillar said, "Only myself, and my trees, and my mushrooms, and my hookah," he drowsily listed off each item as an individual hand gestured to each one as he went over them.

Larxene bit her lip, looking to Marluxia fearfully, "I…" she began, her fingers wiggling anxiously as her eyes darted around, mind racing for an escape route, until the pressure burst inside her, "I fear I might break."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow._ Larxene…being honest? There's a new one._

She clutched a hand to her arm anxiously, "I fear those clones of his…I don't want to be one. I lost my heart once," she looked up with determination in her eyes to the caterpillar, "It was a precious gift that was robbed from me. I certainly don't need his heart," her eyes averted both the caterpillar and Marluxia's gaze, "I don't need mine either."

Marluxia regarded his compatriot. Last time, they had both plotted to overthrow Xemnas. To bypass his plan to restore them to human beings. Marluxia enjoyed the power he had as a Nobody. He had unlocked a fountain of dark powers and being effectively immortal, he simply wanted to continue that life. Larxene's motives had been less clear to him. She hid them behind bravado often, and he simply accepted by now he would never hear her tell an honest tale. The only instance he ever felt she was being completely honest with him was when she was inducted into the Organization, and had only said she felt she was better off without her heart than with it. It's why he chose her as his second in Castle Oblivion.

But he had never seen her bright emerald eyes so dejected and depressed. It was as if her mask had lifted, and her usual evasiveness and bravado was off chasing it, leaving the core behind, which as far as Marluxia could tell was a very sad, hurt girl. He felt a twang of pity for her, which set his own mind reeling for a second. He found himself eyeing the mushrooms. Maybe the hookah wasn't the only mood-altering artifact in this hovel.

Gritting her teeth, Larxene looked up at the sage-bug, her eyes betraying the sorrow that pooled behind them like a glass tank, bottling in all her emotion, "We're better off…"

"You should take it easy," the caterpillar nodded, "He will save you from it. It's all taken care of, man," his beady eyes twinkled, taking another deep drag.

"Taken care of?" Marluxia asked.

"Sure," the caterpillar went on slowly, "all things are taken care of by the cosmos, man. Like, your problems? They're all handled before you even know they exist." The blue bug's pudgy face glazed over with another inhale of the pipe, "You cannot change fate. That's why it is fate. But you can hurry it along. Though," his brow furrowed distastefully, "I wish you wouldn't."

"Who's he?" Larxene's wavering voice implored the stoned bug.

The caterpillar pondered for a moment, examining the sky. By now the clouds had morphed into a scene of a rabbit feeding scones to a jabberwocky. He watched the scene play out before it dissolved several minutes later, before turning back to his guests, his eyes popping in surprise as if he had forgotten them, before closing his eyes and nodding, "He is that which you broke. That which breaks. The bandersnatch. All part of the grand plan. It's better for you to let the cosmos unwind. You wouldn't want to push hope."

"By he," Marluxia stepped forward, "Do you mean they?"

The caterpillar pondered the question for a moment, before nodding as if he had decided on the usefulness of the synonym, "Yes, he is one, yet many."

Larxene's hopefulness and patience watered away at that, "Xehanort's going to save us from Xehanort? No thanks, buddy. I'll do what I feel like," she callously stared down the smoking sage, charging her slender frame with lightning. "Even when I lie awake, feeling empty," she raised a hand to examine it near her face. Marluxia noted the same sad kitten eyes on the woman, before the watery eyes of tears froze over with callousness, and she leveled her gaze to the caterpillar, "And I am empty."

Marluxia stepped in front of her, raising a hand for her to hold off for another moment, "Alice. How do we find her?"

The caterpillar was uncharacteristically quick to respond this time, "She is mome. But that is the only other way I can explain it to you, impatient friends."

"I suppose then your usefulness is at an end," Marluxia said coldly, placing his palm parallel to the ground, and summoning forth several mushroom Heartless. Their small frame and colorful designs, with large, expressive eyes concealed their cunning superbly. They were always a favorite of Marluxia's.

The caterpillar sighed, as if being turned into a Heartless was inevitable, and an inconvenience on his way to the store, "Now you've done it. The bandersnatch will certainly come for the jubjub," he peered at Marluxia, "And what of the mimsy maxome? I think you shall be most surprised of all."

Larxene sighed, "Is it just me, or is he becoming less intelligible?"

Marluxia's cold demeanor, his peculiar brand of sadistic optimism, shined in Larxene's gaze, "We'll find someone else to help us," and he snapped his fingers, the pair walking off to leave the caterpillar to his grisly fate.

* * *

><p>"So, Xion was erased from our memories? But then, how is it you know about her?" Ansem and Aqua had listened to the tale of Roxas and Xion for some time. Zexion's details were mostly about the front-end of the project, before he had left for Castle Oblivion. The pieces after his demise were much sparser.<p>

"I only began remembering her name a few days ago," Zexion shrugged, "It's as if they were simply tucked away, and now they're back."

"Wait, remembered," Ansem stroked his chin.

"You know something, Ansem?" Aqua leaned over to examine his face better.

"Well, when Sora was asleep, his friends forgot about him as well. Kairi shattered the barrier between her memories and Sora and contacted Roxas. It was amazing, I wish I had been able to study it, but ironically she gave away Sora's position and we had to accelerate our plans."

"But, Namine…she's dead right?" Zexion protested.

"Merged with Kairi, yes."

"So, how could this be related to that?" Zexion furrowed his brow, thinking deeply, "I mean, Namine's power came from being part princess, part Sora."

"This doesn't feel right," Ansem continued, "I feel as if we are missing a major piece of the puzzle."

Zexion tilted his head inquisitively, "Where is Sora now?"

"Still in the Tower," Aqua whispered, "he's been in a coma since Ven was separated from him."

"So…it was a marginal success."

"One could say that," Ansem grumbled, "And no way to know what went wrong until he wakens. Hopefully our search for unlocking Terra's heart will give us answers to help Sora."

The trio all seemed to be at a loss, when Zexion came on an idea, "Ansem," he peered at his old mentor from behind his unruly hair, "Namine…what did she do to the artificial memories Marluxia was using to manipulate him?"

"You have a theory?"

"Not sure," Zexion's gaze was hard and level, "Do you know?"

Ansem shook his head, "I was never too privy to Namine's machinations, I was more utilitarian about how she went about her work. But she came through," Ansem's eyes seemed far off in his memory, his features particularly worn looking all of a sudden, Aqua thought, "She went to see Roxas behind my back. Told him about how his purpose was to die. I thought she was trying to dissuade him from joining with Sora, but I started to feel, with hindsight, it was more sinister than that."

Zexion cocked an eyebrow, "From what I remember of Namine she wasn't quite the sinister type."

"Well, she was part Sora, as was Roxas. And Sora…" Ansem trailed off without completing his thought, not usually one for speculative science.

"Sora what?" Aqua finally pressed him.

"Sora is uncompromising in his devotion to his friends and the Light. He even believes that Darkness serves Light's purposes."

"Doesn't it?" Zexion asked.

"In a sense, but not in the sense Sora sees it." Ansem lifted his wrinkled face to his companions, "And though he is the sweetest boy I have ever encountered, remember this lesson that my apprentices taught me: Uncompromising paragons, are uncompromising villains. Roxas exhibited similar tendencies towards malevolence."

"You did say you pushed him," Aqua hurriedly added, a bit defensively. She had taken to an instinct of interpreting any statements about Roxas to also be about Ven, an attitude Ansem, at the very least, did not discourage whenever he spoke of those times.

Ansem nodded acknowledgment, "True. But even though she grew to care for Sora eventually, initially Namine needed little encouragement from Marluxia to warp his mind. Too little encouragement, I felt, to trust her."

"So, you're suggesting that Sora's state now is a result of some plan of Namine's?" Zexion slowly, deep within his own thoughts so that each word was a struggle of concentration to work out.

Ansem waved his hands at his old disciple, "Oh, I don't believe her a malicious mastermind. But, she often flirted with Darkness in such a casual way, she may have inadvertently altered something in Sora. Add in how hard I pushed her to rush the reconstruction of Sora's memories…there may be gaps, shortcuts…but as I said, I was never clear on Namine's powers, so I cannot imagine what such shortcuts might look like, if they could exist at all."

Zexion reached under his cloak, withdrawing his enormous tome. Aqua looked at the binding. It was labeled "Hallucination – Another Side". Zexion opened the cover, keeping his hand over the pages and seemingly telepathically flipping through them to some section.

"What is that book?" she asked sheepishly and less confident than she would have liked to have sounded.

"The Book of Retribution records everything, so long as I have kept track of it," Zexion answered flatly, his eyes intense and scanning the pages for whatever he was hunting for. "It does this from the Heart of All Worlds, so even after I have left contact with it, it will continue to record as long as the subject exists." Apparently finding the page he sought, Zexion's lips mouthed out silent words as he speed read through, before a finger planted in one of the pages, "Here. She tells Sora that she will bury the memories in his deepest Darkness."

Aqua turned with a worried look to Ansem, "I don't like the sound of that."

Ansem nodded concernedly at the lexicon, "How sure can you be of the accuracy of that tome, Zexion?"

Zexion shut the book, "Its accuracy is 100%. I can only use it so much, but when I need to, it is never wrong."

"How is that even possible?" Aqua asked dumbfounded.

Zexion looked to the cover, which was stitched with multiple Nobody symbols, "Well for one, the Book of Retribution is a…what you could call a trickster game. It harnesses the power of illusion to fool the reader who cannot navigate its pages. When I was turned into a Nobody, however, I found myself with singular power over illusory powers, as Xemnas found himself with Darkness, or Axel fire." He rubbed a hand along his arm. To Aqua he seemed a little anxious. Before she could probe further he went on, "Either way, I'm limited to how often I can use it without consequence."

Ansem seemed like he was about to say something, but only a hummed grunt indicated his acknowledgment. He otherwise kept silent on the matter, but his orange eyes were eyeing Zexion like a raptor, intense and single-minded.

Zexion seemed like, for his part, he understood, nodding sheepishly to his mentor, before turning to Aqua, "And I'm sure I can guess what you want me to ask it. But I already know that answer, Master Aqua."

Aqua nodded determinedly, her blue eyes intense and full of energy, "Terra."

Zexion dismissed his book in a swirl of Light and Darkness, his gaze stayed focused on the empty space it once occupied between his fingers as he spoke, "It isn't much, but when I was in the Organization, Xemnas kept a suit of keyblade armor in a stasis room at the World That Never Was. I don't know who it belongs to."

"But it could be Terra?" Aqua's voice betrayed a bit of hope.

"Possibly. Xigbar seemed to think it was one of your group's. I postulated it belonged to Master Xehanort before his transformation."

Ansem interjected, "You knew about Master Xehanort?"

Zexion finally turned up to look at Aqua and Ansem's faces, "Yes. I was aware from the beginning. I could always read hearts, Master Ansem. And that man, Xehanort, was there when my parents died."

"He…killed your parents?" Aqua asked in a sympathetic voice.

"No. The Unversed get that credit. But I remember the old man with the white hair and beard, and dark skin. When he arrived in Terra's body, I knew it was the same man."

Aqua turned to Ansem, her eyes almost accusing, "You didn't do anything about that?"

Ansem looked stunned, and stammered, "I…I am not sure. I have no memories of that time."

"He did," Zexion quietly interrupted, "I was Ansem's spy among his apprentices. But, when it became clear that Braig was Xehanort's willing puppet and Dylan not far behind, I played the middle as best I could." He looked up to Ansem's eyes, "But I have deviated a bit from my role back then. Eventually, I planned to seize control from Xehanort once and for all." Zexion snorted, shaking his head, "Then he had me separated in Castle Oblivion to neutralize me. I was so close…."

"Close?" Aqua asked.

Zexion ran his hand through his hair, nervously chuckling, "I had pieced together what Xion was long before then. And I was ready to activate the rest of the clones early. There was just the matter of waiting for the time when Xigbar, Saix, and Xemnas were all away from the castle. Xehanort's Heartless was destroyed, Roxas was joined to the group…" he sighed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, "Roxas was little more than a drone then. I found out about Marluxia and Larxene's plan to topple Xemnas by force. Lexaeus thought he was also better suited to life as a Nobody, but there was no way he would bend to Marluxia. So I pitted them against each other, all while pushing their buttons…"

"How terrible," Aqua scowled a bit, but mostly she seemed sad, her voice was hovering at a whisper, like it was adrift in the currents of the Dark Meridian again, "To pit your friends against each other…how could anyone do that?"

Zexion seemed more curious than defensive, his eyes widened a bit as he measured Aqua, "You really think that Nobodies have those kind of emotions? That they have friends?"

Aqua stared squarely at Zexion, "Don't they?"

Zexion stared down Aqua for a long while, but her gaze never faltered, never seemed to fade from her conviction. He stifled a chuckle, averting his gaze, "I guess I've been alone too long to answer that."

Aqua placed a hand on his, and though she could only feel through the thick cloth that shielded his body from the Darkness, she felt the connection with the boy, "You don't have to fight Xehanort alone anymore. We're all in this together."

Zexion looked more shocked and uncomfortable than anything. He looked incredibly awkward as he looked at the girl's hand, then turned his head to hide a small blush behind his unruly hair, but looked to Ansem. The old wise-man smiled, and nodded, reaching out and patting his old pupil on the shoulder for encouragement.

**((Author's note: Whew! big one this time, but it's for a reason. The caterpillar just told you what will happen to Mar and Lar if you were paying attention Wonderland fans (there will be lots of Wonderland, it's such a Kingdom Hearts world, no?). And yes, this chapter is all about the interesting Nobodies who were squandered in Chain of Memories. Vexen made his cameo last chapter. The story will focus quite heavily on them, compared to the other Org. members, because...I like them.**

**Well, honestly, I am picking my battles. This is a big ensemble already, we'll be visiting worlds, probably only ones with Princesses though as a time measure, our heroes are on four different paths even if I adopt the "Mickey bookends the game and does squat the entire rest of the time" approach, not to mention Xehanort, Sora, and Kara. I still have the rough deadline of "finish before KH3", and we are 30,000 words in people and we barely finished Act 1. And I'm looking at five acts. I pitched Braig and Isa to the lions because, well, Braig got lots of play in BBS and Isa is the red shirt who dies to prove the situation is serious. So. Sorry all you Xigbar and Saix fans, them's the cookies. Or something. Lexaeus may meet a similar fate. We'll see.**

**And am I alone in thinking Larxene's favorite band is Paramore? Anyone? :P I may or may not have been writing her under the influence of the song she quotes. Which I'm interpreting as a letter to her heart. Read the mangas, she's so cool!))**


	11. Chapter 11 Pawn at the End of the Board

"Yo! Donald! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Lea tried to duck as a lantern on the end of a pole zipped past his head, nearly lighting his hair on fire.

"Maybe if you didn't drive over every bump in the road," the duck responded sarcastically.

"This is never going to work," a drowsy Beast said from within the large carriage, eyes buried in his palm. "They're going to hear you two coming long before we can mount a rescue."

Kairi, also in the cabin, leaned forward and patted the Beast's hand, "It's okay, it's a good plan."

Lea snorted, "Huh, not much of a plan. We're trying to sneak a monster into the village to kidnap a Princess who's being guarded by an angry mob and who knows how many Nobodies."

Goofy, hanging onto the tail of the coach, stuck his head around, "Gawrsh, Lea, wasn't it your plan?"

"Didn't say it was a good one."

"You can say that again," Donald added sarcastically.

"Hey! Who's the brains of this outfit?" Lea glared at the duck riding shotgun in indignation, who simply returned the stare face-to-face. Kairi gently chuckled in the cab. Inwardly, Lea took some small comfort that she had come out of her funk. But it wasn't because their concerns about Sora had been abated.

As they approached the bridge into town, Lea noticed two sentries waiting. Well, sentries in the most basic of meaning. They just seemed to be two locals drafted for the Neighborhood Watch since the raid on Beast's castle. One moved to the middle of the road, holding up his hand for the cart to stop.

"Yo," Lea tried to act as casual as possible, lifting a hand in a half-hearted wave "What can we do for you?"

"You came from the south," a gentleman with a poofy red mustache tried to sound as authoritative as possible.

"Yeah?" Lea looked back the way they came, pretending he didn't know what was back the way he came, "Well we just came by this way, we're traveling."

Two more villagers who were off to the side of the roadblock in a tent emerged, taking weapons and getting ready for trouble. Lea didn't like the outlook. Two guards would be easy to knock out, but four really risked the opportunity for one of them to get away and give away their presence.

"We don't mean any trouble," Goofy said waving over the mountain of luggage and other items strapped to the roof the cart.

"What's your business?" the partner to the mustached man asked.

"Merchants! Traveling merchants," Lea said, "And performers, got a tavern? The little guy here's great at magic tricks," he grinned widely, slapping Donald on the back harder than was really necessary.

"Yooouuuu," Donald grumbled through closed teeth at Lea, trying to keep up the appearance they were all friends.

"But, yeah, see all this stuff?" Lea pointed to the pile on top of the coach, about half as large as the carriage itself. "We're just here trading, friend. What's been happening to the south?"

The moustached man seemed to be a little more at ease, "Oh, you wouldn't believe it, a huge, terrible beast rules the castle some ways down the road. Monster I tell ya! He must have been, what, ten feet tall?" he said looking to his guard partner.

"Oh more like fifteen!"

The red headed gentleman nodded emphatically, turning back, "Oh for sure, saw him with my own eyes, I did! We just mounted a huge rescue of a girl he was holding prisoner."

"You don't say?" Lea mimicked astonishment. He was quite good at faking his way through a gambit of emotions from his time as a Nobody.

"Aye, poor girl. Scared to death still, I think. But, Gaston's a brave man for mounting it!"

"Gaston?" Lea asked, this time genuinely interested.

"Oh, best hunter in these parts, by far! Has he got some stories to tell! A swell guy, should meet him while you're in town."

"Oh, I'll make it a top priority," Lea said quietly. He suddenly blinked at a low growling from within the coach.

"What was that?" the two guards rushed forward to the coach, the two men still sizing the situation up behind them cautiously advancing.

Kairi popped her head out the window of the carriage with a big smile, "Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry! We've been on the road all day and I haven't eaten," she put a hand over her cheek, and averted her eyes, "This is so embarrassing."

The moustache man sized up the young girl, considering her for a moment. Kairi tried to smile even wider. The sentry shook his head and waved off his comrades, looking to Lea, whom he assumed was the leader of the outfit, "Just a bit further, past the center circle in town, is the lodge, best place you folks might find some board for the night."

"Thanks kindly," Lea gave a casual two-fingered salute, and hit the reins on the horse pulling the carriage.

After they were safely out of earshot, Kairi let out a long sigh, "I thought for sure they'd catch us."

"Yeah, touch and go there for a bit," Lea commented busily.

The Beast seemed to understand, "I apologize, but that hunter…when I get my hands on him…"

"He can wait," Goofy spoke from his position clinging to the rear, "First we gotta rescue Belle."

"Donald looked around at the many darkened houses at this hour, "Yeah, but where do we start looking?"

"Maybe I can help?"

Lea halted the coach, and Donald growled a bit. Kairi stuck her head out the window again, with Goofy trying to peek around the side. In the middle of the road in front of them was a hooded figure. A Nobody.

Beast's mind raced, whispering so only Kairi could hear him, "That voice…"

"Isn't it a little late to be playing with the big kids, Xaldin?" Lea sneered.

Emerging from the shadows behind him came a huge man with a gun on his back. He had an impressive physique, even compared to Xaldin, and his black hair was tied back, his expression hard.

"You see, Gaston. It is just as I told you. These people have come to take Belle from you again."

"Now you get something straight," the man Xaldin had called Gaston pointed at Lea and Donald, "No one will interfere with this. Belle is to become my wife. I've already killed one monster to save her. Don't think you have a chance."

A loud, guttural growl came from within the carriage, as one of the door was shoved out with such force it came clean off the hinges. Beast stepped out, snarling at the man, "So, you're in league with Xaldin? I should have known he was behind all this."

"Come now," Xaldin said, throwing his hood back, revealing his long sideburns and dreadlock hair, "And here I thought we were such good friends, Beast."

The Beast snarled, throwing his arm out to brush his cloak away emphatically, "You tried to take Belle the last time you were here!"

"Wrong," Xaldin cut in flatly, "I was only helping you. Don't you understand yet? No woman could love a beast."

Beast looked dejected, his body relaxing from its feral fighting stance, "That may or may not be true. But you have no right to imprison her. When she leaves me, it will be on her terms." Beast looked up, the menace in his eyes again so fierce it even made Gaston take a step back, "My heart will never cease fighting for her. Even if I end up fighting alone."

"Never alone, Master," a cheeky voice came from the cart. A candelabra, seemingly of its own will, stood up on the roof of the cart, and using one of the candles in his…hands…burned the twine that bound all the pieces tied up together. Chairs, a dresser, bags of silverware, even a coat rack among other things tumbled down off the cart, taking positions behind their lord and readying themselves for a fight. The candelabra leapt down onto Beast's shoulder, his arms in a boxing position, "We will save the mademoiselle and send these deplorable kidnappers running!"

"Lumiere," Beast smiled faintly. Kairi, Donald and Goofy all took positions around the cart, with Lea simply standing upright in the driver's seat and summoning his keyblade, nodding to Beast in deference.

Xaldin sounded less than impressed, stepping back, "Gaston, I believe you can handle this. I will guard Belle."

Without a second thought, Gaston stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, "With pleasure."

"You're outmatched, pal," Lea said, aiming his keyblade at Gaston, "And your buddy has flown the coop. I don't think you're in any position to stop us."

Wordlessly, Gaston snapped his fingers, as at least half a dozen Heartless appeared around him. They weren't as tall as a normal person, with two antennae on their heads, with large yellow eyes and sharp claws they brandished as weapons.

"Great," Lea spat, "Neoshadows."

"Attack!" On Gaston's command, the Heartless leapt at the group of heroes and furniture. Beast grabbed one around the head and threw it into a nearby building, rushing straight for Gaston.

The burly hunter didn't move, he simply stood, waiting for the Beast with hands crossed over his chest. As the Beast leapt at him and swung a mighty paw, he suddenly felt his arm stop, blocked by something. Gaston merely smiled smugly at his enemy as a shadowy creature, a more enhanced version of what Lea had called Neoshadows, materialized, holding the Beast's wrist. The Beast roared before being thrown back into the fray with Gaston's minions.

Kairi turned when she heard Gaston laughing, "Hahahahaha! You might have had a chance at your castle, beast. But as you can see, I have become far richer since our last encounter!"

Lea rolled his eyes as he incinerated a Neoshadow, "Oh, and a Dark Guardian. Of course he has one of those," he spun around to avoid the slashing claws of a Heartless trying to swing at him mid-complaining.

"Gaston!" Donald shouted, brandishing his wand at the hunter, "Tell us where Belle is!"

"You insects, you will not take her from me!" Gaston drew his blunderbuss, aiming it at the Beast and taking a shot at him. The pellet whizzed through his shoulder to a loud roar. Gaston summoned even more Heartless, and took off back into the shadows to wherever he came from.

Dispatching the Heartless, the small army of keyblade wielders, fighters and furniture looked around.

"Something's not right," Lea said.

"Yeah, where are all the people?" Kairi asked.

"With Heartless around," Donald said cynically, "there may not be any people left."

"Now yer bummin' me out," Lea said, hands on his hips and looking around. He saw a shop with a light still open and walked towards it, "You guys stay here, right?"

Lea walked up the small steps and into the store, where a bell announced his entrance. A short, portly man came from out back, "Oh! You're not a monster!"

"Monster?" Lea looked around, "Why would I be a monster?"

"Because they're everywhere!" the man said emphatically, "ever since we rescued that Belle girl from the monster's castle!"

Lea feigned ignorance, "Oh? I heard it was quite successful, you got her back, right?"

The man nodded, "Oh we did! And how! But now there's monsters all over, probably sent by that beast!"

Lea casually leaned on the counter, his fingers tracing circles, "I've heard a lot about this beast," he began, his voice rather innocent as he gauged the shopkeep's reactions, "But the only person I saw on my way into town tonight besides my companions was a tall man, wide as a house, being followed by some black creatures."

"That's them, the monsters!" the shopkeep said, but then backed his train of thought up, "Wait, did you say big man? In a red shirt?"

Lea snapped his fingers so he was pointing directly at the shopkeep in recognition, "That's the one."

"Oh dear, that's Gaston!"

"Really, who is he?"

"Oh, best hunter in the village! He's been patrolling the city all night taking out those creatures," the shopkeeper nodded.

"Oh, well he didn't look like he was fighting them," Lea offered casually.

"Do you think they were following him? Maybe trying to ambush him?" the short man leaned forward a bit intently.

Lea scratched his chin, "You know, that might be it, too."

"Oh dear," the man pulled out a handkerchief and patted some sweat from his round, bald head.

"Where can I find him? I should warn him if that's true," Lea suggested.

"You're right!" the gentleman said, pointing out his door, "Gaston is always at the lodge, Belle's being kept there, too. Poor girl, half mad after imprisonment with that monster."

Lea gave one of his lazy salutes, "I'll head over straight away, thanks for the info."

Coming back outside, the others were waiting for him, "So, Belle's at the lodge. So is Gaston."

"And Xaldin will certainly be with them," Beast growled.

"Yeah, not looking forward to when he takes off his gloves," Lea grumbled.

Beast ordered his attendants back to the castle, taking the carriage and leaving the five others behind. As they approached the lodge, it seemed quiet, though most of the lights were on. Kairi opened the door and went in first, waving in the rest when she didn't see anybody. They heard the sound of conversation from upstairs, and slowly tried to creep up the stairs. Fortunately the pair of tall men were too busy bickering to hear Beast's lumbering form creaking on the stairs.

"You still shouldn't have left me there!" Gaston fussed at Xaldin.

"It's fine," the Nobody responded. "Soon you'll be married, you'll have everything you want, isn't that right?" he sneered and took Belle's face in his hand, but she only glowered at him.

Beast lost his temper at this, tearing the door away and roaring.

"Ah, Beast," Xaldin casually addressed the intrusion, "I hoped you would survive. Gaston deserves to finish you himself."

The Dark Guardian materialized again, and even before Gaston was done waving his hand, it was rushing at Beast, "Attack!"

Beast grappled with the Heartless, while the others rushed at Gaston and Xaldin, Kairi and Lea going after the Nobody and Donald and Goofy engaging Gaston. Xaldin leapt backwards out of the window into the street below, Lea and Kairi close behind. Xaldin still stood with his hands behind his back, his expression serious, even disappointed, "Axel, I would prefer we don't expend any power on this fight. Can't we just let Gaston have the girl?"

"The name's Lea," Axel glared, getting into his fighting stance, "Got it memorized?"

Xaldin's mask of stoicism was replaced by true bewilderment, "You really don't know, do you?"

"What are you doing with the Princesses?" Kairi demanded.

Xaldin turned to her, "We simply need the Heart of All Worlds. Nothing more."

"Yeah, yeah," Lea waved his hand dismissively, "And then you unite the worlds right?"

Xaldin paused a moment, "Is that what he told you?"

Lea tilted his head, before a rush of wind forced him to cover his eyes, and Kairi was forced to the same. Xaldin summoned his spears, using the wind to make them dance and stab at the heroes on their own, while running headlong into the dual wielding two of the long barbs.

Back in the loft, Belle was watching the fight between Beast and Gaston. Though Gaston seemed to be laughing, Belle felt that, even for him, there was little life behind his eyes. Beast, with the help of Donald's magic, managed to bind the Dark Guardian, but before they were finished Gaston leapt on the Beast's back, trying to out wrestle him.

Goofy made his way to Belle, taking her hand, "Come on now, Belle. We need to get you somewhere safe."

Gaston saw past Beast just in time to see Goofy and Donald escort Belle back downstairs, "Belle! No!" he blew Beast back with a wave of Darkness.

Xaldin was easily keeping the key-bearers at bay, but he felt tired very suddenly.

Then the wind stopped, leaving it deathly quiet outside. Xaldin fell to his knees, and Darkness began to billow outward from him, covering him like smoke. When it faded, his skin was much darker, and his hair bleach white. Turning his face up, he looked at the key bearers with a grin.

The Xaldin Vessel stood up slowly, summoning forth an ornate keyblade, as two dark portals behind him opened, flanking him on either side, from them emerging Vexen and the Isa-Xehanort.

_Damnit,_ Lea cursed, _we aren't going to make this one._

At the same time, Gaston had picked up the Beast and thrown him out the window, his massive body landing in a hard thump. Kairi looked up to see Gaston with a sadistic, triumphant smile on his face, when he winced, clutching at his chest. "What…" the hunter looked at his hands in horror, "What's happening? Why…agh!" he fell to his knees as his own body swirled in Darkness, consuming him and leaving an empty spot where he had been. The swirling black mist slowly dissipated, leaving only an empty room.

Kairi and Lea were looking up in horror, when the smug voice of Xaldin, only now slightly more reflective and reserved, turned their heads, "His Heart just wasn't strong enough. His lust for power proved useful, but I suppose it was too much to hope he would be a match for the Beast."

"Vexen," the Isa-Xehanort commanded coldly, "Retrieve Belle." He summoned forth his own keyblade, staring down Lea, while the Xaldin clone took aim at Kairi.

As the two Xehanort clones rushed at Kairi and Lea, Vexen easily made his way into the lodge.

Donald and Goofy stood between him and Belle, the small magician narrowing his eyes at Vexen, "You better not start anything."

Vexen smirked, wetting his lips, "Well, you see, I have an experiment to run. And I'll require her," he pointed to Belle. The young woman only recoiled at the suggestion. Vexen sighed, "Xaldin has already succumbed to Xehanort. Your friends out there are as good as dead."

Belle looked horrified, "No."

Vexen pointed at the window, backing away to give her some space, "See for yourself."

Belle, Donald, and Goofy peered out the window to see that indeed, Kairi and Lea were struggling for their lives. Kairi especially was getting pushed back, and took a hard kick to the stomach that forced her to drop Destiny's Embrace to the ground as she doubled over.

"Kairi!" Donald and Goofy both exclaimed.

"You can make it stop," Vexen said flatly, extending a hand to Belle. "All you need to do is come with me."

Belle looked worriedly outside, Beast was up, but he seemed to be cradling a limp arm as he attacked the Xehanort on Kairi. The Xaldin-Xehanort kicked Beast with as much force as he had Kairi on his broken arm, causing it to bend backwards sickeningly, causing Beast to howl and fall to his knees.

Turning to Vexen, the Princess of Heart nodded, "Alright. I'll do it. If you'll spare my friends."

"Belle! You can't trust him!" Donald more squawked in surprise.

"I give you my word," Vexen said slowly, reaching out further to Belle.

Belle nodded, taking his hand gently, and was consumed in a pod of Darkness that encompassed her and Vexen, and they were gone.

The Xehanort clones paused, noting that their objective was gone. The Xaldin clone looked at the prone Kairi, considering for a moment, before looking at the Saix clone. Nodding to each other, they both summoned dark gateways and retreated, leaving the street silent, with only the cold wind to comfort the battered heroes.


	12. Chapter 12 Castle of Secrets

((**Author's Note**: _So, some news updates to get out of the way, right away!_

_Most important, Deepest Descent has an image now! And it is magnificent. The avatar was generously provided by RoxasTsuna of Deviantart. See RT's other work at his page that I'm not allowed to link. But simply search it on DA and you should come up with it easy!_

_Other minor updates: There is a new feedback forum. I really wanted to thank all of the people diligently reading D2, and the best way I felt to do that was to look for some input in minor areas that are really "cosmetic" to the story, such as who ships with who =P You're also free to ask questions if something has confused you, and I will answer, spoilers permitting. (The full link is at the bottom of my user profile, still not allowed to link even to FF pages in story)  
><em>

_Finally, a relatively minor change coming soon: The chapters will be given names. It's a minor touch, but with few distinguishing features (such as my last many-chapter story, Founding, which was relatively easy to navigate due to the fact it was told from first person per character-per chapter), I know people might get lost, especially when I go on update binges like last week. Feel free to suggest names at the forum, but be warned they may be rejected for not being pretentious enough. Enough of my wordy self!))_

Through the twists and turns of the World That Never Was, a different version of Lea was playing cards with Luxord, and never catching a break. Demyx was off to the side composing his music. All three turned in unison to the door when it opened, and in stepped Vexen.

"Yo, sempai," Axel waved sarcastically and went back to his cards, eyeing Luxord with determination that this would be the hand he beat him.

"Axel, I haven't the time," Vexen dismissed him, going to sit in a chair, not bothering to engage in any activity save his own thoughts.

Without lifting his head from the game, Luxord commented, "I assume things didn't go well."

"Not at all," Vexen tersely drummed his fingertips against each other. "We retrieved Belle, but Xaldin fell to Xehanort."

Axel threw his hand of cards down on the table, rubbing his forehead, "Damnit."

"Indeed," Vexen coldly agreed.

Luxord peeked at Axel's hand, deciding he would have won the match, and seemed satisfied with that, folding his own hand, "We're going to be outnumbered by them soon," he said matter-of-factly.

"First Xigbar and Saix, then Lexaeus, now Xaldin," Demyx counted off their casualties in a voice that seemed laced with panic, "And no one has an idea yet how to escape it?"

"Believe me, I'm looking," Vexen grumbled, staring intently at a point on the floor. Behind his green eyes lurked calculations upon calculations.

"Has anyone seen Zexion?" Axel asked innocently, trying to gauge the rest's reactions as inconspicuous as he could.

Vexen twitched, "No, why?"

Axel shrugged a bit melodramatically, stretching, "Oh, you know, the guy always seems to have schemes for this kind of situation."

"He creeps me out," Demyx said, turning back to his sheet music.

"Here's a crazy idea," Axel spun around in his chair, "Why don't we just ask a key-bearer for help? I hear Roxas is back."

"That thing isn't Roxas and you know it," Vexen spat.

"He might still help."

"Maybe," Vexen mused, pondering it for a second. "Even if he did help, unless his intellect is leagues ahead of Roxas, he won't be much help."

"How do you mean?" Axel leaned forward, now genuinely curious.

"I mean that I have never seen so much interconnectivity, nor as strong a Heart as Master Xehanort," Vexen explained, "and there's no way that a run of the mill keybearer could understand that."

"Then, we need a not-run-of-the-mill keybearer," Luxord added casually as he shuffled his cards.

"I could probably remove the Hearts myself," Vexen started in.

"Well great!" Demyx said.

"But it would probably destroy our bodies in the process," he finished.

"Did anyone think to merge with their other selves?" Luxord asked off hand.

"Yes," Vexen said, "Lexaeus."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Why didn't it work?"

"Because that just merged the Xehanort Heart in his Nobody form with his real body, and Xehanort just took over."

There was a long silence then, with a fast-shortening list of hopes, until Axel spoke up again, "How many days?"

"Two more weeks," Demyx quietly responded.

"Maybe three," Vexen added hopefully, "Xehanort has a tendency to underestimate his enemies."

Axel tilted his head, examining the scientist, "So when are you going to ask?"

Vexen raised an eyebrow, "I beg your pardon?"

Axel held up his hands helplessly, "For our help," Axel said obviously, only to be met by a blank stare, "Look, we're not stupid, y'know? I know Xehanort's been keeping you on a short leash."

"Indeed," Vexen said, scowling. In a few moments though, Axel saw his eyes light up, "Oh, that just might work. I hadn't thought of that before."

"What?"

Vexen looked at the others hesitantly, "Well," he began, unsure of whether or not to divulge his information, "Back, even before Castle Oblivion, Zexion once asked me questions about Riku's body and Xehanort's Heartless."

"Riku?" Luxord raised an eyebrow, "what do he and Xehanort have in common?"

Vexen wet his lips, "Well, it seems that Xehanort used a similar process to acquire his current body, the Keyblade Knight, as he is using on us."

Axel leaned forward, "Riku still isn't in this picture for me."

"Or me," Demyx chimed in.

Vexen glared, losing his patience, "Don't you get it? Xehanort once possessed Riku to make him into a Vessel. But, that appears to not be an option anymore."

"How do you mean?" Axel asked, his voice void of all traces of snark.

"Xehanort was trying to acquire Sora as his 13th Vessel. But if Riku was already seeded, why not just use him?"

"Curiouser and curiouser," Axel said stroking his chin. "You think Riku can save us?" Suddenly, as If telepathically linked, Axel and Vexen looked squarely at each other.

Luxord and Demyx were merely confused, when the former spoke up, "What are you two thinking?"

Vexen and Axel nodded to each other, before Vexen turned to the others, "We'll need to find Riku, and someone will need to sample his memories for me."

* * *

><p>"This way!" Riku dashed ahead of Ventus, leading the boy to the center of the problems right now. Ven shrugged and merely followed his companion, letting his Dark senses lead the way.<p>

Several Unversed rose up to block their way, which the pair of keyblade wielders dispatched easily. Ven glared with a certain hatred as he struck down each Unversed, each one a symbol of how weak he had been last time. He vowed to correct all the mistakes he made previously.

A Dark Gateway opened in front of the pair, from it emerging a sneering Kara.

"Kara! Surrender!" Ven brandished the Oathkeeper at the girl.

The girl coldly regarded Ven, "When I have my life back."

"Your life?" Riku asked.

Kara swayed slightly, her short red dress flowing in the wind. She looked up at the buildings towering overhead in Radiant Garden. She closed her golden eyes for a moment, sighing deeply, becoming more relaxed. She looked at Riku, "I want my life. I am tired of being a shadow."

Riku tilted his head, and eyed the girl from behind his blindfold, "Namine used to say the same thing."

Kara's expression turned even colder. Even though she looked like Namine, Riku had never felt so off-put by the Nobody like he was right now, "And what happened to her?"

Riku lowered his keyblade, "She joined Kairi. They're now a complete being."

Kara smiled, tilting her head as a huge roar sounded somewhere in town. Ventus saw a large Unversed rise from behind the buildings. It carried itself on its two arms, with no legs to speak of, and seemed to center the gaze of its large eyes on the keybearers. Kara wagged a finger at the pair, "Not quite so complete, it would seem."

Riku reached out a hand as she faded into a dark portal, "Wait! Kara, come with us," he managed to get out as he was interrupted by the immense fist of the Unversed slamming into the ground between him and Ven.

Ven ran up the beast's arm, slashing his new keyblade along the entire length while Riku stood at range, firing a huge Dark Firaga at the creature. One of its arms swept at Riku, who easily leapt out of the way, making the enormous creature seem like it was in slow motion.

Ven's Oathkeeper shimmered in Light as he ran at the creature's face along its arm, and delivered a deep slash with the keyblade right through the beast, and landing expertly on the street below.

The Unversed bellowed, and as it collapsed it faded away in streams of Darkness. Ven only scowled rather than celebrate the victory over the creature. He knew those signs, watching the Dark energy dissipate into the air and head back to Kara, where she would simply rebirth it as a new Unversed somewhere else. An indefinite cycle that had no end. Ven dismissed Oathkeeper as he walked towards Riku, still looking straight up, "When you said Namine," he began quietly, "I saw a girl in my mind. That's the girl you said woke Sora up last time, right?"

Riku looked to Ven curiously, "Yes. She had power over Sora's memories."

"I feel," Ven began, shaking his head, "I can feel this presence, like she isn't really gone."

"Don't worry," Riku said, "she isn't. She's still in Kairi."

"And Kara?"

Riku grimaced, "I hope not. I'd hate to think what she could do with all the memories from back then." He looked around, sighing, "Her scent is gone. I can't find her," he started to lead Ven back to the Garden's headquarters.

Ven sighed as well, but didn't seem to even lose his concentration, "What kind of memories?"

Riku shrugged, "Well for one, Namine was an expert with the dark corridors. No telling where she could go with that knowledge. She also had…abilities. But without Sora's body, I don't think she can use any of those powers, luckily."

"So," Ven began, trying to make sure his history lessons had been taking, "Namine was part Sora and part Kairi, right?"

"That's right," Riku answered innocently.

"You think I could wake Sora up this time?" Ven offered.

Riku stopped dead in his tracks, "I'm not really sure. Only Ansem could tell you."

"Well, am I crazy?" Ven asked, "I mean I came from Sora, too, right? Would I have those same powers?"

Riku seemed to seriously consider the possibilities, before shaking his head, "No, that's reckless. Namine stumbled onto those abilities, and sometimes I thought she had no idea what she was doing. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but until then, let's just leave that idea be."

Riku tried to keep moving, but noted that Ven wasn't budging from where he stood. Riku turned around, eyeing him from behind his blindfold. The blonde haired kid was scowling at him. Well, scowling as best as Ven could scowl. "What?"

"I'm not a child," Ven said determinedly, "I'm not weak, either. I can handle this."

Riku waved his hand, trying to diffuse the issue, "Oh no, nothing like that. I meant that those abilities are incredibly powerful. And we don't want to mess with them without Ansem's help. He was the only one who really understood the intricacies of Namine's power, if anyone did."

Ven's big blue eyes were only full of concern, "I want to help Sora."

"I know," Riku said quietly.

"Sorry," Ven rubbed the back of his head. Riku smirked, _the same way as Sora. _"I guess I'm not used to being a partner yet."

Riku smiled now, "Alright, let's go on together then," and he extended his hand for Ven to take.

Suddenly the world flashed in Ven's eyes. He wasn't in the Garden. He was…somewhere. He had been here before. Islands, small islands and a calm sea. Only this was more turbulent than he remembered the tranquil islands Master Xehanort had taken him to, the sky was dark, and there seemed to be a huge storm. Riku was…younger. Wearing a yellow vest, and around him swirled a pool of Darkness. Almost in response to his offer, the wind kicked up and trees bent sideways from the storm. Riku spoke some more, but Ven didn't hear the words, his lips merely mimed the speech. A glaring ringing noise was consuming Ven's senses, and he put his hands to the side of his head as it felt like it would split in half without his holding it together. He tried to look at Riku, his eyes half closed from the strong wind. Riku stood stoically, his arm still extended forward for Ven to take, seemingly unphased by the storm or the swirling Darkness that was consuming him. His expression frightened Ven. He stood, hand stretched in offer for Ven to join him, but his eyes and mouth told any outsider that he didn't honestly care if he left with or without him. Then Ven heard his own thoughts, only it wasn't his own voice, _No_, _Riku, take me._

Riku rushed forward, catching Ven as he fell unconscious, frantically trying to shake him awake, "Ven! Ven!"


	13. Chapter 13 The Fault in Our Stars

Selphie was relaxing at the shore, as she tended to do over her summer vacation. She watched the crystal clear water from the sea flow in and over her delicate feet, keeping them cool, the shimmering over her pale skin as it dripped into the sand and surf. It was a relaxing kind of meditation, letting nature sway the rhythm of her body. The yellow and pink sky of sunset was a beautiful alarm clock. She felt she should probably head home soon, else incur the wrath of her parents. Though they were more forgiving of late nights over breaks from school, she could afford a few more minutes. As she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the summer evening, she heard a rushing sound, and the howling of dark waters, like a thunderstorm. Looking around, she couldn't find a storm cloud. Looking around curiously, she looked up to the small island bridge at the sound of footsteps. She could see dark brown spiky hair sticking up over the ridge before the figure went out of view, but she knew that hair anywhere. Hopping to her feet, she ran up the ladders and across the bridge, finally coming to within a few feet of the familiar figure.

Waving, Selphie laughed, "Sora! You're back?"

All of her laughter dissipated when he turned to look at her. His eyes were a fierce golden color, and glowing faintly. He was glaring at her, which put her off even more. Sora never glared. Sora barely raised his voice when he was the victim of a prank, and that was usually just to be heard over the laughter. Selphie looked down to his hand. He was carrying a black weapon. Kairi had once shown her something similar, calling it a "keyblade". But Kairi's had been beautiful. The thing Sora carried now had a certain elegance to it, but it was a cold, vicious kind. Selphie could make out writing on what were best called the teeth, a word for "darkness".

Selphie looked up, trying and failing to hide the worry on her face and in her voice, "Sora?"

He barely even acknowledged her existence, turning his head back to peer at the sunset over the paopu tree he, Kairi and Riku often relaxed on.

"Sora? Is Kairi with you? What about Riku? Where are they?"

The thing purporting to be Sora snorted, "Where indeed." Selphie felt her stomach turn. It was Sora's voice, but his speech was completely different. He was blunt sounding, and rude.

Then, as if deciding something, he turned to move past Selphie, who stuck herself in front of him against her better judgment, "Sora, wait. Tell me what's going on. I want to help."

Selphie didn't see it, but the burning hot sensation through her chest and up into her neck was agonizing. She fell to her knees on the sand, barely conscious of the footsteps as Sora walked away, the sand underneath her turning bright red with her blood as her vision fogged over. Time sped up, the world spinning around as she felt cold, and closed her eyes, clutching the only arm that would move closer and snuggled against the faint warmth it gave her.

Sora made his way back across the bridge, heading straight for the Secret Place. He walked down the twisting pathway, now uncomfortably tight for his adult-sized body, forcing him to twist around to the side and duck at several junctures. He finally found himself in the large aperture deep in the cave, where he, Riku and later Kairi had scratched a number of pictures into the stone wall. The cave was still dark and rather damp, the smell of moss so thick it felt like you were breathing the plants in. Little chalk scratches still dotted the walls, and even the carving he and Kairi had made of each other was in place. He noticed the hand he had drawn all those years ago, handing the image of Kairi a paopu fruit. His fingers gently brushed the opposite arm Kairi had drawn sharing one with his image after his apparent death at End of the World those years ago. It was all still so familiar to him, even though everything was a slightly smaller size this time around.

Brandishing Oblivion, Sora looked squarely to the end of the chamber, where the Door to Nowhere stood. He leveled his black keyblade at the door, his lips twisting into a cruel grin, "There you are."

* * *

><p>At the Enchanted Castle, Lea was trying to convince Beast to wait until he had healed before pursuing Belle. He narrowly ducked a chair thrown against the stone wall, indicating what poor luck he was having in that endeavor.<p>

Kairi, who was standing in the hallway, had finally had enough, and burst through the door, walking right past Lea, who had his hands up guarding from any more flying furniture, and up to the Beast. Putting her hands on her hips, she stared the monstrous creature down, "Now you listen to Lea! He's only trying to help you. What good will it be if you collapse on the road trying to rescue Belle?"

Beast's menacing snarl softened at that, like Kairi had hit a nerve. Not so much that her words were convincing him, but apparently something had tempered his reaction to that specific phrase. He averted his gaze, though his voice still carried a touch of his savage temper, "I.."

"You nothing," Kairi folded her arms, "We need to be careful, Beast. None of us are prepared to deal with this situation."

Beast didn't look too pleased, but said nothing.

Lea was still wide eyed, his mouth hanging open, finger pointing at Kairi, "…Huh…how…buh," his arms criss-crossed as he pointed from Kairi to Beast repeatedly.

Turning, Kairi giggled, "Come on Lea," she waved him in behind her, turning to Beast before exiting, "And you get some rest! Okay?" Beast didn't audibly answer, but his head snapped to the side in acknowledgement. Kairi giggled, stepping out the door and walking with Lea down the hall.

The flame wielder was scratching the back of his head, "Uh, thanks for that. How did you manage that?"

"He just knows I'm right," Kairi quietly said.

"Do not worry, mademoiselle," a smooth voice spoke beneath her. Looking down she saw the candelabra, Lumiere, hopping along with her. "We will keep the Master on his best behavior."

"I don't think we'll need much for that," a talking clock said on her opposite side, "The poor man seems terrified of the girl. Ah-ha! Even Belle only could do that once or twice."

Kairi chuckled, smiling warmly down at them, "You will keep an eye on him? He shouldn't do anything reckless."

"Oh indeed we will," Cogsworth saluted, "But won't you be staying, Madame?"

"We're not sure yet," Lea spoke up for her, "We're going to discuss that now."

"Oh, but of course," Lumiere bowed, "We will leave you to it, monsieur. Mademoiselle," he gave another deep bow to Kairi before grabbing Cogsworth and leading him down to the kitchens where most of the castle servants had taken refuge in the ruined castle until repairs had been completed. Kairi turned and waved one last time before heading outside with Lea.

As the pair walked out to the rose garden where Donald and Goofy were waiting, Kairi looked up at the stars, preferring to let the men discuss their tactical plan of action. Lea was far more experienced with it anyway. The quartet was now faced with a difficult decision.

"So," Lea asked, not sounding like he enjoyed any possibility presented, "Do we wait for Beast to heal and take him with us? Or go straight to the next world?"

Donald tapped his foot anxiously, "We could use his help, but even with it only three of the Organization managed to beat us."

"I admit I'd like the extra hand," Lea crossed his arms in thought.

Goofy looked worriedly between the two, "Gawrsh, what about the Princesses though? We can't abandon them."

Lea bit his tongue, "No, that's not an option at all, Goofy. But we can't protect squat if we're dead."

"We almost were this time," Donald grumbled.

"The way I see it, we can either wait, and lose some more of the Princesses, leave right away, protect the princesses, but probably end up dead, or wait altogether until Xehanort's ready to make his move and crash his party," Lea counted off on his fingers, looking desperately at Goofy and Donald for more suggestions.

"We have to leave now," Kairi's quiet voice came from behind Lea.

Raising an eyebrow, Lea turned around, "Well I'm glad that's settled."

Kairi was still looking straight up, and raised a hand to point at a specific star, "There." The other three followed her hand to see a star violently twinkling, pulsing with flashes of light and quickly fading to darkness before brightening again.

"What's so special about there?" Donald asked.

Without removing her eyes from her target, Kairi reached out her palm, "I need the star shard. I can bring us there."

All three looked worriedly at each other, but only Goofy spoke up to mention how crazy Kairi's plan was, "Gee, Kairi, the King said that we wouldn't be able to control the shards for a while. How do you know where we'll go?"

Kairi didn't budge, her hand still waiting for the orange shard. Her eyes were burning in desperation, but they never once budged from their target. Her voice, however, was becoming more desperate, "Donald?"

Hesitantly, Donald stepped forward, and looked to his companions, "Everyone remember to grab onto Kairi."

"This is a bad idea," Lea said as he stepped forward, placing a hand on Kairi's shoulder shaking his head.

Goofy followed suit, and Donald handed Kairi the shard, taking her other hand. Kairi pointed the hand with the shard straight up at the pulsing star, "It's alright. I know what the stars are," she said as the shard started to glow, and encompassing them like a comet, they shot upward into the sky.

* * *

><p>The trio found themselves shaken as they arrived on something soft. Kairi recognized the feeling of sand beneath her feet. Looking to her side she saw the paopu tree. She was home! She felt a relief momentarily, before looking up. There were stormclouds, but very unlike the clouds she recognized. They were dark, almost black, and a hint of purple swirled in them. From the looks of things, they were in the eye of the storm, but the eye in the sky was pitch black. She had seen this storm on the Islands before.<p>

"Hey, who's that?" a panicked Donald shouted. Kairi turned to see someone lying facedown in dark sand. She hurried over, immediately recognizing the wingtip hairstyle.

Turning Selphie's limp form over, Kairi fought back tears at the empty, grey eyes her beautiful friend was staring into her with. "Selphie! Selphie wake up," she managed to choke out. The sickly white skin of the girl only added to the twisted way her head flopped like a doll at being shaken. Donald could only look on Kairi with immense pity in his large eyes. The girl had been brutally cut wide open along her chest and neck, with a single, expertly delivered slash. Whoever had killed her had been incredibly powerful. Goofy looked like he would cry merely from watching Kairi cry, and placed a hand on Donald's shoulder.

Lea had the sense to take Kairi by the shoulders and lead her away, "Come on, kid. You don't want to stay here," he said as he roughly led her down the bridge, forcing her to move away from the painful scene.

Donald stepped up meekly, indicating a faint trail of blood along the bridge and continuing for some time towards the cliff face of the island, "Whoever it was went over there," he pointed with his wand towards a waterfall.

"Oh no," Kairi whispered, grimly drawing her keyblade, her voice was quiet, sunken, "That's the Heart of this world."

"Xehanort," Lea spat, drawing his own blade, immediately igniting it on fire for both light and extra power when he would inevitably need it.

Almost on cue, as the group approached the waterfall and pool, a figure stepped from behind the moss concealing the Secret Place. Though the darkness here seemed to darken his hair until it was almost black, and he was ducked down probably to fit out the small gap so his face was obscured, everyone recognized the spiky hair.

"Sora!" Donald exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, Sora, man," Lea sighed, dismissing his keyblade, visibly relaxing as he stepped forward, "Man I was worried there for a-"

Lea was stopped by Kairi's hand at his chest, holding him back. He looked down at her confusedly. There were tears streaming out of her blue eyes, as she raised Destiny's Embrace and leveled it at Sora. She gave a pained look to him, as every movement she made now caused her distress, and she would give anything to not have to do it. The wind blew her red hair in front of her eyes, but she made no move to hold it back, simply keeping a locked gaze on Sora, trying desperately to find an image of this meeting that she could hold onto.

Lea raised an eyebrow, looking back to Sora, who finally looked up, his eyes glowing a yellow gold in the darkness caused by the storm, his expression hard and wrathful.

"Sora!" Goofy sounded more shocked than worried.

"The hell…" Lea whispered to himself, resummoning his keyblade. He looked at Sora less with confusion, and more like a freak of nature.

Sora looked up, still looking angry. His voice was cold, slow, and had a rudeness to it entirely unlike the boy Lea knew, and as he spoke his eyes closed as he relaxed, taking in the surroundings that no one had any pretense regarding his creation of it, "Is this what you call, 'Silence'?" he said with a faint smile.

Lea looked around confusedly, seeing the raging storm around them. The waves of the ocean had to be ten feet high, crashing into the shore all the way up the beach. The trees were buffeted by such a strong wind the sound of their trunks cracking under the strain filled the air like a symphony. The only thing that was silent here was life.

But of all the friends, Donald looked the most dejected, "Sora. What did you do?"

Donald only displayed pity for his friend as his head lowered and he glowered at Donald, his golden eyes full of rage and contempt. It was the same expression Donald saw in Riku's eyes when he served Ansem and Maleficent, "I brought them back."

As if waiting for their cue, several Heartless emerged from the cliff walls behind Sora.

Lea readied himself to fight, adopting a combat stance, "There's clearly something going on, but I know something: You aren't Sora."

Sora's head snapped to Lea, still with the glare of contempt and antagonism, as he spoke in the voice of Roxas, "Is that so, partner?"

Lea felt cold, and dropped his guard. No one knew about the clock tower. No one was supposed to know.

Sora's voice returned to "normal", still unfeeling toward his friends, his mouth turning into a sarcastic sneer, "So tell me, was it really worth saving me, after all?"

Lea shook his head, getting back into his fighting stance, "Sorry, but mind games aren't going to work today, Xehanort," he mumbled for his friends to hear in assurance.

"No," Kairi said flatly, her voice strained, as it coiled around the lump in her throat, "That really is Sora." She twisted her keyblade so the tip pointed directly at Sora, her eyes narrowing and growing harsher. Her chest was heaving. Her emotions swirled inside her so strongly the tide they caused felt like it would burst her chest, her voice cracking from the force of her sorrow breaking on her heart, "But not anymore."

When Sora looked at Kairi, his expression changed little, but his voice became notably softer, "So you can see it, can't you Princess?" Kairi only returned the question with her steely gaze. "Oh? What's the matter?" Sora asked mockingly, "Afraid to close your eyes?"

Kairi failed to fight back a single sob as fresh tears flowed down her face. She knew what he looked like in her mind's eye already without closing them. It merely made it easier to focus on her second sight when she closed her eyes. It was like a holographic image of Sora was overlaid on his body, and in it all she saw was blackness. None of the familiar light that she remembered about her dear friend was present. On top of that, it was mostly the dark core where his Heart should be, it was slowly leaking throughout his body, like the Light that had been there previously had been torn away leaving open wounds for Darkness to scab over his soul.

Sora smiled knowingly, raising Oblivion to his side in his combat stance, holding his free hand in front of his body, turning to the side to slim his profile. The confident smirk vanished when Kairi began concentrating, a ring of pure Light forming around her, the energy so intense it started to lift her hair.

Lea covered his arm in a gauntlet made of fire, sternly addressing their unexpected adversary, "Sora, what's going on? How did you end up in league with the Heartless?"

Without responding, several black orbs of energy formed around the head of Oblivion, orbiting the teeth of the blade like an atom. The Heartless lunged at the heroes, but Lea shot his arm forward as columns of fire shot from the sky and incinerated each of them effortlessly.

Donald held out his hand hopefully, "Sora, we can stop this right now. We've beaten too many Heartless to be afraid of them now. We don't have to fight if you call this off."

Sora looked to Donald, the rage returning to his voice, "Idiots. This is the first world that the Heartless have had access to in years. You don't actually think that they'd let a world go so easily? Especially when Xehanort has laid the groundwork for a new Kingdom Hearts so easily?" From behind Sora emerged an enormous Darkside, its enormous hands slamming down on either side of the Keyblade's Chosen One, as it lifted itself out of the ground's shadow.

Lea saw Kairi shaking her head out of the corner of his eye. She was looking directly at Sora, mouthing the word "no" over and over again. Confused, he looked back at Sora, his eyes opening and mouth parted in horror when he finally realized what Kairi could already see. The orbs circling Sora's keyblade were Hearts, completely corrupted by Darkness. Sora wasn't just controlling the Heartless like a Nobody, he was creating them.

Like a sling, Sora threw the three orbs into the air, each one falling around the little tide cove where he had played as a child. From each of them rose another Darkside, the immense god-like Heartless rearing up and bearing down on the four warriors of Light, surrounding them in a series of thundering crashes. Kairi let out another sob as she watched her oldest friend fall even further.

Sora seemed to enjoy it then. He watched as the horror and fear of him spread from one face to the next. A smile of genuine pleasure crossed his lips, but the emotional high he got was only temporary. He would need to see it again, and again, and again, only then, he felt, would this veil of dulled senses be lifted by removing Ventus from his Heart.

Lea twirled his keyblade, glaring at Sora, "You're not Sora. Not by a long shot," he rushed at the keybearer, firing a huge fire funnel at him. Sora rolled to the side, as he came upright bringing Oblivion to bear, swinging at Lea to find his blade locked with the fire master. Sora seemed to be soaked in a golden glow, the same color as his eyes, but the pure energy seemed to "cool" into the blue-blackness of Darkness a few centimeters out. Lea tried to blast Sora with fire, but it was met with Sora's Dark aura, the energy swirling around them like a tornado, with the two of them at the center. Their keyblades clattered against each other, neither sensing the advantage to strike at the other.

A crack of lightning brought them both out of the trance, Sora taking several swings at Lea, keeping him on the defensive, and finishing with a hard kick that sent him flying into the flimsy shack that connected the beach to the bridge.

Kairi aimed her keyblade at the nearest Darkside, an arc of twisting, literal Lightning made out of her purity cut through the enormous Heartless, vaporizing it entirely. The Light bolts crackled around her, but even Goofy noted that she seemed exhausted by the effort she put into the attack.

Sora leapt at Kairi, swinging his keyblade down from overhead, only to be greeted with Lea's blade again. Kairi shook her head, her face contorted in pain as she held her palm in front of her, Light concentrating in it like a focusing lens momentarily before it blasted Sora back. Rolling his shoulders, Sora made another rush at the group, blocking the swings taken at him, striking Goofy and Lea hard blows to their backs and managing to dodge a fireball fired by Donald. He might have been at a disadvantage normally, but none of them save for Lea seemed to be able to get past the idea of fighting Sora. Their movements were slow, telegraphed perfectly for the expert warrior.

Donald flailed as Sora sent him tumbling backward embarrassingly. Sora then spun on Kairi, looking deep into her eyes, and grabbing her wrists, exerted his aura so it practically engulfed her. He gazed at her face for a few moments, his expression misanthropic in the way he seemed to regard her. She hardened her resolve against him, and her own Light energy started to fight back against his dark aura.

A powerful backhand sent Sora into the rock pool, though it took little for him to get himself back upright, seemingly unphased by the water cascading down over him as he walked through the waterfall, his movements quivering with rage.

Sora took a deep breath, then stood upright, lowering his keyblade, and addressing Kairi in the same level, unfeeling tone as before, "My storm is about to end this world. You're too late to protect it. And what do ya know? I got a bonus prize today." Waving a hand behind himself, Sora stepped backwards into a dark gateway, the final thing Kairi saw vanish to the swirling blackness were his glowing gold eyes, still holding her in contempt in their gaze.

Without their summoner, the Darksides abandoned the fight, going off to do what their instincts taught them. Kairi looked out over the sea of her home, watching it turn from a gentle blue to a pitch black. Sora and Riku had talked about their brief exile in the Dark Meridian. This must have been what it looked like. It wouldn't be long before the Heartless completely devoured the Heart of her home.

Lea stood up, rubbing his neck. His voice hung heavy with the weight of the words he thought only natural to break the silence, "This just got a whole lot more complicated."

Donald and Goofy moved like lead was in their joints, all four of them watching as Kairi pulled the orange Star Shard from her pocket. It was already starting to glow, the innate magic inside it sensing their window for escape was rapidly closing. Kairi's hand came to her mouth to try to hold in the sobbing as she watched the dark storm rip planks from the structures she considered home, and tear huge cracks through the beach, water spilling down into whatever pit they opened into, as the four friends vanished, to some new, unknown destination.


	14. Chapter 14 The Fault in Ourselves

Mickey stumbled around a bit as his Star Shard released him from his trip. He didn't quite remember the shard travel to be so nauseating the last time around. Taking in his surroundings, he recognized the dark corridors of Maleficent's abandoned fortress at Radiant Garden. Mickey drew his keyblade, eyes dead serious. Star Shards always made sure you got where you needed to go, even if their will was unclear at first. This didn't seem like a fun side trip, at all.

Sensing a commotion from the chamber ahead, Mickey silently advanced, hiding behind the large door frame, and peeking around the corner. He recognized this room. The place where Maleficent had tried to open the Heart of All Worlds. Mickey often heard Riku talk of the smell of Darkness. While the short king had never experienced such a sensation, he imagined that this was what it felt like. It was like the evil of this room had forever scarred the castle, the dark intentions from that time lingering in the very air itself.

At that moment a dark corridor opened directly on the central platform. As the howling sounds of the Realm of Darkness broke the chilling silence of the room, Mickey watched carefully for its occupant that had emerged on the other side. It could be any number of Organization members, or even some other dark actor.

But when Mickey had assured himself it could be anything, he wasn't quite prepared for anything. He saw the frame of a familiar friend. Sora was standing with his head hung slightly, a black keyblade at his side. Unsure of how to proceed, Mickey decided to wait and find out what was going on. Xehanort had tried to clone Sora once before, perhaps this was his newest attempt.

Sora was too busy to notice the king, lost in his thoughts. Raising his empty hand, he examined it for some time, turning it over, as small fragments of Light started to swirl around it. He then looked around, causing Mickey to duck back a bit to avoid being seen. But Sora simply seemed to be taking in the surroundings, waxing nostalgic with himself. Every pipe, every beam of steel, every rail was exactly as he remembered it. But none of the rushing emotions that had consumed him last time. None of the pressure to save Kairi. No Xehanort-possessed Riku taunting him. No, this was almost serene in how he could simply watch the world slowly tick by.

Looking back to his hand, he was suddenly reminded of the impulse that drew him here. He focused more, and all of the Light fragments centered around his hand, coating it like a glove. Lifting up Oblivion, he gave his palm a gentle tap with the end of the blade, and the fragments of Light slowly coalesced in his hand. Like a cosmic process, he watched, concentrating on his work, but able to take some small pride in the skills he was still experimenting with.

Mickey, too, was fascinated by Sora's actions. Had either of them been paying more attention, they would have noted that Mickey was hardly in his hiding spot anymore, instead leaning so far into the room to get a better look that the word "concealment" was about as far as it could be from a list of words describing the king. But Mickey knew the gentle chime sound of a Heart exposed to the open air. Whatever Sora was holding was just like a Heart, if not one entirely. But he had only seen Light used in its construction.

Sora closed his eyes reverently, and slowly pushed the purported Heart into his chest. Inhaling deeply, he soon turned his keyblade on himself, causing a bright glow, so bright it caused Mickey to shield his eyes. He looked to the space before Sora, and saw a young girl with blonde hair and wearing a white dress, who seemed to be surprised to be there, examining her arms and patting her body down like she was making sure she was all there.

_Namine!_ Mickey gasped silently. The shock of the moment seemed to cause him to take gauge of his surroundings, and he quickly ducked back into his hiding place. But he almost immediately began peeking around too far again, trying to watch what was happening.

Sora seemed to be rather patient, waiting for the girl he had seemingly created to get her bearings. She was quite beautiful, and could easily pass for Kairi's double. She was older than Sora had remembered, and her dress was still too small.

The blonde girl looked up confused, "Sora?" she asked, appraising his appearance.

"Yes," came the curt reply.

Namine couldn't hide her shock when she noticed Sora's eyes, "Oh my gosh…Sora what happened?"

Sora stood still, but his tone of voice did all his emoting for him, as he sounded like a bored teacher catching a poorly behaved student, "Why don't you try to tell me?"

Namine paused, considering for a moment. She then seemed to stumble on something inside her mind, her eyes wide with surprise, "Wait, Sora, you remember me?"

"That's right."

Mickey was edging closer, trying to stay in the shadows as he approached the pair while they seemed engrossed in their conversation with each other. He'd have to hear each word, luckily he was keeping up rather well with his large ears.

"So, you're just like him now," Namine lowered her head sadly.

"Him?" Sora seemed surprised, but any hint in his voice was badly overshadowed by the contempt.

Namine looked up, "The other presence inside you. I could feel him deep down inside you."

Sora tilted his head, sneering at her, "You said that you were burying my memories of Castle Oblivion in my deepest Darkness inside my Heart. I want to know what you meant by that."

Namine nodded, "Yes, I did. It was the prison…the way that part of you was blocked off…" she rubbed her arm, as if unsure of herself now, "it seemed like the easiest place to put the fake links I created."

"Because you thought I would never be able to access them?" Sora asked, starting to sound genuinely interested.

"No, that is," Namine blushed, as if talking about the incident still embarrassed her terribly, "it was just disconnected from the rest of you. I always wanted to reconstruct your memories so you would remember Castle Oblivion. But I just wasn't skilled enough, it took Roxas to finally even get you walking around again. That part of you was safe, disconnected from the rest of your Heart."

Sora stepped forward, causing Namine to take a step back in response, looking around warily. She was barely keeping the courage to stay and talk. But if Sora was as strong as he had been back then, running would be pointless anyway. The keybearer seemed unphased by her fear, "Is that normal?"

Namine shook her head, "No."

"You called it 'he'."

Namine nodded, "Yes."

"Explain."

The girl in the white dress looked about anxiously, averting eye contact with Sora. The eyes of Darkness were unsettling on him, "We only later learned about the different personas inside your Heart, Sora."

"We? You mean you and Ansem?"

A trembling Namine bit her lip, nodding, "Yes."

Sora seemed to calm, looking down pitiably at Namine, "You're the one who put Ansem's data inside my Heart before the battle at The World That Never Was."

"That's right," Namine said ashamedly.

Sora shook his head, almost chuckling, "Ansem. He never stops meddling with me."

"He didn't do this to you," Namine shot back defensively.

Her assertiveness caught Sora by surprise, "And how would you know that?"

"Because I can see your memories, Sora," she said defiantly, looking into his eyes, "And you're still you. Why do you have to act like Riku?"

This caught Sora off guard, "Riku?"

"Yes, Riku," Namine protested, "Always threatening me, bullying me, staring me down with those eyes of his. Always…ah!" Namine fell to her knees, her entire body shimmering and fading in and out. She stared at a hand, watching it flow and almost melt in the air, before she held it still and it slowly came back into focus.

"Huh," Sora quipped, watching her in pain, "I suppose I didn't really take enough of Kairi with me to create you, after all."

Namine's head snapped up, eyes peering at Sora as she tried to read his memories, "You…you created an after image of Kairi's Heart?"

"Something like that," he shrugged as he turned away, stepping back. "If I had the time, I merely would have extracted you from Kairi. But I had to work with what I had."

Desperately, Namine looked around. Her hands reached out looking for something, anything. There was still debris lying around, the Restoration Committee had decided long ago to leave Maleficent's fortress a hollow reminder of how they had conquered the Darkness. Subsequently, the refuse from when Sora had battled Xehanort in this room was strewn everywhere. She saw a sharp piece of metal, and looking at the wooden floor, she hastily lifted the sharp object and scratched in a crude drawing in a manner of a few seconds, an image of her and Sora holding hands as friends.

Sora paused, standing upright, motionless for a second. Namine doubled over in pain as her body started to tear itself apart, unsure if she had any effect on the keybearer. Sora walked back over, and got onto his knees, looking into Namine's eyes with pity. For a moment, Namine felt flooded with hope, when he spoke to her, "You really don't get it, do you?" his voice was quiet with arrogance and amazement, "I'm not a dumb puppet anymore. I am on a whole different level from you, now."

Namine winced, gritting her teeth and howling in pain, holding her stomach as she felt her insides twist inside her. Her body began bleeding off Darkness, the thin streams like steam evaporating off her body.

Sora turned, standing up and opened a dark gateway, "I see now that Ventus was holding me back." As he began to head into the portal, he paused. Turning around, he waited until Namine was looking at him again, and gave her one of those pure, genuine smiles of his, "Thank you, Namine. I never did tell you that, did I?" But just as he had brought the warm smile up, it just as quickly faded, as he walked into the corridor, leaving the girl clutching her own decaying body.

Mickey came out of hiding as Sora left, leaping up to the platform, his eyes filled with pity for the helpless Nobody. He didn't even try to put her through the indignity of asking if he could help.

Namine's body trembled as she reached out for the sharp metal she had used before. She began scratching something else into the floor. Mickey couldn't exactly tell what it was, though one of the figures seemed to be Sora, judging by his hair. As she coughed up blood, Namine continued, when her utensil snapped in two, sending the sharp end flying into some dark corner, leaving her with too clean a break to work with. Without even waiting, she frantically looked around, pushing her upper body with her arms, her legs seeming to be paralyzed for some reason or another. She then made the first acknowledgement of Mickey's presence when she lifted a shaking hand, pointing at his side.

Mickey looked down, curious. She was pointing at his Keyblade. Understanding, he silently handed it to her. She smiled weakly, trying to mouth out words of thanks.

Mickey closed her hand around the handle of the blade, his gentle face hard with purpose, "You should hurry."

Namine gave a shallow, jerky nod. Using the teeth of Mickey's blade, she continued with her drawing. Apparently deciding it was complete, she dropped the keyblade to the floor, falling forward onto her belly, panting heavily.

Mickey wordlessly picked up his blade, slinging it around his back this time. He knelt down by Namine, speaking softly, "Are you the Namine I knew?"

"No," Namine was gasping for breath by now, and trying to speak quickly between deep inhales, "But I have her memories…I suppose…I suppose I'm like Xehanort…in a different body."

Mickey looked concerned, "Is there a Namine with Kairi now? Will she be a complete being?"

Namine's eyes closed as she answered him, "A part," she smiled, seeming to find her situation more comfortable as her breathing slowed, "a part."

Mickey watched helplessly as the Darkness burned out of Namine. Then, like a real fire, the swirls of black and purple consumed her, leaving an empty spot where her body had once been. Mickey scooted closer to get a better look at the second drawing. One figure was definitely Sora, and the other was someone else. They were holding hands, with what Mickey assumed was a rainbow overhead. They were completely encased, like a cycle had been completed. Even in its crude construction, Mickey couldn't help but feel that there was hope within the image. Pulling out his keyblade, Mickey planted it in the floor, kneeling and closing his eyes to honor the girl.

The lone king didn't wipe the single tear from his eye, standing up and looking skyward, smiling, "Thank you, Namine."


	15. Chapter 15 Anger Cannot Be Dishonest

Sora's gateway wasn't the only one to open in Maleficent's castle that day. Another opened in the citadel, and emerging from it a stoic Riku and anxious Ven. Each walked with purpose, taking stock of their surroundings and arming themselves for a fight.

"Getting anything?" Ven asked quietly, afraid to bring his voice over a whisper.

Riku shook his head, "No. I could have sworn I sensed two dark presences here before." The Keyblade Master advanced through the familiar passages. He was almost immediately regretting coming here. This was a chapter of his life he preferred to remain buried in his memories. Practically every door brought a distant memory of a Princess tortured for her Heart, filling him with an incredible shame.

He must not have been hiding it very well, because Ven's hand was holding tight to his shoulder comfortingly. Riku glanced over his shoulder to see the other boy smiling at him, and gave an affirming nod to the Dark wielder. Riku smiled and nodded back, though looking into the face of Roxas for comfort wasn't doing wonders for his guilt. But even if in this reincarnated form, Ven could forgive him, he would at least make the effort to forgive himself.

The pair made their way deep into the bowels of the castle. Riku made sure to check every side room, even though the fading scents of Darkness clearly had not come into them. He was trying to gather the courage to bring Ven to the place he knew both the scents had come from. Still, he idled his time peeking in doors long forgotten. He was so caught up in his apprehension, when he opened one particular door, he gasped, not even realizing where he was.

"What?" Ven was immediately at his side, keyblade at the ready, his face dead serious looking for the danger.

Riku let out a relieved sigh, "Heh, no enemies Ven. Just, this…" he stepped deeper into the small room, looking around at the chandelier that had once provided light in here. He ran his hands over the dusty bed, smiling at Ven weakly from behind his blindfold, "this was my room."

"Oh," Ven relaxed, his voice immediately full of that boyish wonder. Riku looked under his old bed, and seemed to find whatever he was looking for, reaching under and withdrawing a blue-green tome. It was a simple looking enough book. Ven pointed at it in Riku's hands, "What's that?"

Opening the pages to a faint cracking sound, Riku smirked, "This was a book I was reading during my nights here. Never did finish it."

"What's it about?" Ven asked, walking along the walls and examining the sparse belongings that Riku had collected during his self-imposed mission to restore Kairi.

"Oh, you know," Riku shrugged, "castles and damsels and dragons."

"Oh?" Ven smirked, his voice a bit haughty, "Yeah I rescued a princess, once."

Riku picked up a pillow, smiling at Ven, "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Ven said with enthusiasm, then, sheepishly, "well, Aqua helped. A little."

"Right," Riku chuckled and tossed the pillow at Ven, "Did you kiss the princess? Or did she?"

"What?" Ven caught the pillow, peeking over the top, "No! No one kissed any princesses," he threw the pillow back at Riku, who laughed and caught it, tossing it to the bed, "You should talk," Ven added, teasing, "you look like a princess."

"Hey! Who rescued who?" Riku raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face but a smirk managing to creep along his features.

"That doesn't count," Ven made a face.

"Alright then," Riku said, enjoying himself, walking back to the hall, and practically shoving the book into Ventus as he passed, "next time you rescue me, then we'll talk."

Ven looked at the book now in his arms, blushing a little before he got a determined fire in his eyes, "Alright, I will! You'll see," he said, turning his face back, examining the book and tilting his head, wondering what to do with it.

Riku chuckled as he walked further down the hall, shaking his head. _He's even more Sora than Sora is._ The Dark Keyblade Master continued, feeling confident enough to pass the doors he knew contained nothing of value now. As he reached the belly of the fortress, he noticed some disturbances in the dust down here. Kneeling, he noted a large, round footprint. Looking at the size of his own feet, Riku tilted his head.

"Did you find something?" Ven came running down the hall to catch up with Riku.

Riku didn't answer right away, turning his gaze back the way he came. There was a round dispersion of dust, and the footprints came from that. They apparently didn't start further down the hall. Suddenly Riku pieced it together, leaping to his feet and rushing headlong into the central chamber, "Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Mickey! Are you here?"

Ven looked taken aback, "The King?" he dashed off behind Riku into the center chamber.

Riku ran up to the ceremony pedestal, looking around, but seeing no one. "Mickey!" he called out one last time, but no reply came. Coming back down to the central platform, Riku folded his arms in thought, "If the King was here, why didn't he contact us?"

"He probably didn't have time," Ven said with a little too much understanding, "Yen Sid said those star shards were unreliable and moody. He probably had to take off real fast." Ven was sweeping his eyes over everything, the experience of exploring on his own was still a new feeling of freedom for him.

"I suppose you're right," Riku mumbled, sighing, "And here I thought we'd catch up to someone here. I would have walked if I knew we'd completely miss the action."

"Hey, what's this?" Ven said, pointing to the floor and crouching down.

Riku came over, bumping into Ven a bit in the tight quarters.

"Oh, sorry," Ven blushed, scooting over to make room for Riku. The Dark Master removed his blindfold to get a clear view, clutching the black fabric in his hand. Ven pointed again to reiterate his point. Riku saw a small, crude carving in the floor. It seemed fresh, and the typical dusty interior of the rest of the fortress seemed to be completely disturbed in this section of the floor. "Look," Ven said, moving his hand over some of the figures, "these two and these two are at different angles."

"Yeah," Riku agreed, peering closer, "They might be two different pictures."

"What do you think they mean?" Ven looked up, biting his tongue to fight back the blush moving up his neck in such close quarters to Riku.

Riku shook his head, "I'm not sure. But," he ran his fingers over the border of one of the pictures, "these are familiar, somehow."

Ven nodded, looking back to the one Riku was examining. Squinting, Ven pointed to the figure on the far left, "Hey, doesn't that kind of look like Sora?"

"Huh. Yeah I suppose it does," Riku agreed.

Ven moved his finger to the side a bit, "But who's the other one?"

"Hard to tell," Riku huffed, "I mean with this level of detail it could be anyone." Riku leaned in a few more inches, "Actually I think it kind of looks like you."

"Really?" Ven's eyes widened, "I thought it looked like you."

Riku chuckled, shaking his head, "I suppose speculation is pointless right now, huh? Look at it from the right angle it probably looks like Kairi."

Ven turned his head to the side absurdly, until it looked like his neck was broken, a goofy smile on his face, "Hey, it does!"

Riku laughed and shoved him gently, "I was being rhetorical."

"Hey!" Ven scrambled to get his balance. When he felt secure, he looked back at the carvings, "So who do you think drew these?" Riku didn't answer, merely studying the pictures some more.

"My sister," came a cold voice from behind them. Riku and Ven leapt to their feet, spinning around in time to see Kara fully materialize out of a dark gateway.

"Gosh, you have a sister?" Ven said surprised, "is she at least a lot nicer than you?"

Kara's gold eyes regarded Ven coldly. She turned her attention to Riku, whom she surmised to be in charge, "My sister. She was here. I felt it. Where did she go?"

Riku tied his blindfold back on as long as Kara was in a talking mood, "Your sister? You mean Kairi? I haven't seen her."

Riku felt the girl's aura strengthen, exerting so much dark energy it felt like he was being pushed back, "My sister. Where?" she said, sounding considerably short tempered.

Riku's eyes widened, and he turned back to the carvings, finally understanding, then back to Kara, "Namine was here?" Ven's eyes darted to Riku when he spoke the name. This rebirthing process was strange. Though he had never met anyone named Namine personally, he saw an image of a young girl in his mind, and felt a mixture of affection and hate for her. He certainly knew of Namine, and had formed a somewhat shady opinion of her, but these feelings were deep. Personal.

Kara reached her hand out, her golden eyes locked on Riku with frustration. Her eyes were like mirrors of his dark past in this place reaching out to punish him for his mistakes. Swirls of Darkness reached around from her shoulder, coiling around her arm and converging in her palm. A black blade formed, an impossible blade that made Riku peek from under his blindfold, because his senses were clearly cheating him. It was a keyblade, with a red guard, and a black blade that reached out like a monster's claw, with a hooked tooth.

"Where did you get that?" Riku asked solemnly. Ven looked uncertainly between the two. This was something he didn't have the faintest clue about.

Kara pulled the blade into her cradling arms, caressing the weapon like a pet or baby, "Whatever do you mean, Riku?" She stared at the impossible blade with eyes filled with something resembling wonder. Riku understood the look. He had a similar one when Maleficent tempered his Dark powers. It contained all the rush of power with none of the awe at its destructive capability. One thing Riku had learned over the years that awe was a positive emotion. It gave a scale on which to balance your actions. Kara was like he back then; a creature with the ability for destruction and none of the appreciation for it. Her smile would have been the same if she had been given a new puppy, or found 100 munny unexpectedly. In a way she did get a prize of some kind, only in her case it was the ability to end lives more efficiently. The Key of Hearts.

"Xehanort created that blade," Riku accused, "but he needed six of the Princesses of Heart to form it. How did you get a hold of it?"

"Yes," Kara said, stroking the long shaft of the keyblade, "it took six Hearts you say?" Without raising her head, her golden eyes shifted up in slow motion to stare down Riku, a sadistic smile on her face, "And who used that weapon, I wonder?"

Ven looked at Riku's expression of righteousness melt. It was like he had been struck a painful blow of some kind. Riku knew full well the implication behind those words.

Kara smiled in amusement, returning her attention to the keyblade, "Six Hearts…that could be just enough to let anyone use it, I guess. But without using all the Princesses?" she raised the weapon to a pose ready to strike, "I would have to be some sort of Princess for that to work."

Riku huffed, drawing Road to Dawn and adopting his trademark stance, the blade level to the ground and his other hand stretched outward almost inviting his enemy to attack him. Ven immediately followed suit, drawing Oathkeeper and swinging it around behind his back and crouching low, ready to leap into action.

"Easy," Riku whispered so only Ven could hear him, "she's using the stance that Kairi used last year. She probably doesn't know how to use that thing. But it magnifies her Darkness like a lens. So don't take anything for granted."

Kara launched herself at the two heroes, her blade crashing down against Riku's. Ven ran along the side to strike her from the rear, but she was apparently ready for him, her free hand reaching out, and jerking back quickly, causing Dark energy to rupture the edge of the platform, forcing Ven to leap backwards to avoid falling to the floor below.

Riku parried Kara's blow, turning the tables on her and swinging down at her, reversing their relative positions. But Kara was untrained, and Riku used the teeth of his blade to yank her weapon down to waist-level, and thrust forward with his own blade, grazing her in the shoulder as she tried to spin out of the way. Before she even landed Riku was charging his empty hand with Darkness, recalling the battle he had with Sora here, and launched a huge slicing disc at her. The electrifying energy seemed to be blue, white, and purple all at once, narrowly missing Kara, crashing into stonewall behind her, cracking it down the impact site. The girl was clearly frustrated, and throwing a hand down, several Unversed rose from the ground. The wild creatures attacked the two heroes, but Ven covered Riku, taking down the Unversed as they approached his friend, allowing Riku some breathing room to continue his long range attack at Kara.

Drawing her arms in, Kara powered herself up, glowing with Dark energy. Riku clenched his first, and pummeled a Dark Firaga at her with a scream, but an Unversed took the hit for its master. Riku cursed, the Unversed were acting far more defensively than he was used to.

Ventus seemed to understand exactly what was needed, and using Riku's back as a stepping stone launched himself over, twisting in mid-air to cut down two of the Unversed. The others seemed to lumber compared to the nimble key-bearer. Ven's body was a methodical machine, completely immersed in his battle experience with the Unversed. Half of his blows and parries were by instinct, knowing exactly what to expect.

One of the Unversed, a kind of sword-bearer itself, had taken a position guarding Kara like a bodyguard. As Ven cut down its comrades, a copy of it emerged as the silver-haired girl spawned new ones. The pair advanced on the key-bearers, Riku running up to provide Ven some support. Locked in duels, Riku and Ven twisted around each other, using each other's backs as cover. Ven was particularly surprised by how well he and Riku had been fighting. The fight was somehow familiar to him. An image flashed in his eyes of a dark street, with rain falling all around him. He turned to look at Riku, who was now wearing the robes of the Organization. Ven leapt backwards on instinct, unsure of what to make of it. He could almost swear he heard Oathkeeper whisper in his mind, _Enemy._

"Ven?" Riku checked on his friend, keeping an eye on Kara.

Ventus shook his head, looking around and seeing the world exactly as it was supposed to be. Or, that was what he thought. It was back in the little room at least, and Riku was still dressed like Riku. He looked down with worry at his keyblade. He heard no more words, he wasn't even entirely sure he had heard the first one. He shook his head and got back into stance, "Right," he leapt over an Unversed, trying to swing from behind. But these Unversed seemed to be more intelligent than the usual trash that roamed the streets of the Garden. It blocked Ven's blows, albeit just barely. Still, it was keeping his attention long enough that Kara was able to aim her palm at Ven for her own Dark Firaga blast.

"Look out!" Riku extended his hand just as Ventus cut through the Unversed, turning just in time to see Kara taking aim at him but not fast enough to react. That fireball impacted on an almost crystal-like shield, sending Ven skidding backwards as the casing cracked and shattered. Riku let out a big sigh, glad his shield had worked.

Kara slowly walked along the edge of the platform, seeming to be distracted by something. Her gold eyes were curious, and she reached out a hand, feeling out for something, her voice so quiet Riku could barely hear it, "He came and left here…"

"What?" Ven asked, keeping his eyes on the Unversed.

"He will know what happened to my sister," Kara said matter-of-factly. She stretched her arm further, her fingertip pointed out and stopping, as if she had impacted something. Tilting her head quizzically, she drew her finger down, like it was undoing a zipper, as a dark gateway opened up.

"Oh hell," Riku spat, running straight at Kara, only to be knocked to the side by an Unversed into the railing lining the platform. He cursed his own carelessness, shouting for Ven to hear, "We have to stop her!"

Ven nodded, darting and weaving through the Unversed, but they bore down on him with such intensity he couldn't make much progress before an attack forced him to jump backwards. Riku slung another slicing disc of energy through several Unversed, trying to clear a path for Ven. But by the time he made his way through the last Unversed, he was watching Kara's back disappearing into the gateway. "No," Ven let out weakly, but unable to mourn his failure long, blocking a swing by one of Kara's bodyguards.

As the portal sealed, the Unversed also vanished, withdrawing from battle one by one.

Riku looked around in rage, gritting his teeth as Darkness cracked around his arm like lightning, "Damnit!" he slammed his fist into the floor, cracking the platform so deep and hard it sunk a little into itself.

Ven felt he sort of understood what was going on, but felt embarrassed in case he sounded like an idiot right now, "Where did she go?"

Riku looked up, apparently a little calmer, "Not sure, exactly. But she's gone. She followed one of those scents from earlier, I could smell it in the portal."

"Can she do that?" Ven asked confused. This seemed to go against everything he knew about the corridors.

Riku shook his head, "I suppose she can, but I've never heard of anyone being able to track someone like that. She might not find him, but she definitely found her way off-world."

"What about the keyblade she had? Can she track him with that?" Ven helped Riku stand up.

"No, well," Riku shrugged at a loss for information, "I don't think so. But this was created differently from the blade Xehanort made, so maybe its powers are different."

"Well we have to go after her," Ven said with determination.

"Easy," Riku held a hand up to calm his comrade down, "we should go report to Squall and let him know Kara's left."

"Right," Ven nodded, looking to the door, then back to Riku with a sheepish look on his face, "Uh, you don't happen to remember the way out of here, do you?"

* * *

><p>Vexen was walking up the fortress staircase as slowly as he could. He had been summoned to Xehanort's main chambers. From what he understood, every Xehanort would be there. Vexen remembered enough about his life as a Human to remember when his research projects came under scrutiny from what the lab workers called "the suits". All faceless executives who didn't care so much about the people underneath them as the way things looked on paper. In the Organization these days, all of the "suits" were Xehanort. At least in the day there were ways to appeal to the different aspects of Saix, Xigbar, Xemnas, and Marluxia. Not so anymore, Vexen would have to keep his mouth shut if he expected to get out of this one, he calculated. At the very least, prove he still had some usefulness.<p>

As Vexen walked into the main meeting room, he looked up at the thrones that used to seat his comrades and he. Now only converted Vessels had seats here. He came before the position of Number 1 and bowed slightly. The face of Terra looked down at him indifferently, nodding. One by one those who had succumbed to Xehanort's influence removed their hoods. Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, and Saix's faces looked down at him. All the same dark skin tone, the same white hair. It was unnerving for Number 4.

"Vexen," Number 1 greeted him, "have you made any progress on tracking down the source of Darkness that has appeared?"

Vexen crossed his hand over where his Heart would be, "I regret I haven't found its location yet, Master Xehanort. The entity, whoever he is, is traversing worlds at an incredibly fast pace. I can barely keep up with my methods of tracking."

Number 7 spoke up, "Have you noticed a pattern to the worlds he has been visiting?"

"Not that I can deduce."

"Interesting," Number 2 said, "and have your investigations turned up anything else?"

Vexen's mind raced. Did Xehanort know about their plans to use the Replica Project? Well, it was Xehanort, of course he knew. Still, Vexen felt the best course of action was plausible deniability, "Nothing noticeable, no."

The Xehanorts all looked at each other. There was certainly some kind of body language that Xehanort himself could read between his incarnations. But whatever the subtle tics were, Vexen couldn't extrapolate any conclusions based on what he saw. Number 1 looked down on Vexen again, "We have just discovered that one of the worlds of Light has been consumed by the Heartless."

Vexen looked up directly at the Superior now, "Which world?" he said a little more curtly than he probably should have.

"The Destiny Islands," Number 7 answered without any offense.

Vexen cocked an eyebrow curiously, "Roxas' homeworld?"

"Indeed," Number 1 nodded. "A curious coincidence, don't you think?"

Vexen stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I don't believe in coincidences…mathematically they're often impossible."

"So," Number 2 said, his voice an echoing overlap of Braig and Xehanort's voices, "What do you wager the odds of the Key-Bearer's world spontaneously falling to the Heartless are?"

"Slim," Vexen said definitively, "too slim."

Number 1 smiled that confident smile of his, "It would seem to me you should hurry and find Riku, don't you think, Vexen?"

The scientist gritted his teeth, _Of course he knows_… He looked up, "If Riku is who you want me to find, then of course."

Number 7 interjected, "A Dark wielder who bears a personal grudge on Destiny Islands? Did you have someone else in mind, Vexen?"

All present turned their attention to one of the lower seats. A dark portal was opening right on top of it. As the black swirl faded, the silver and blue haired figure folded his arms, occupying the sixth seat in the council, "I would think you'd know better about that than Vexen, Xehanort."

The Superior's eyes widened in anger. Vexen's own eyebrow cocked curiously at his reaction. _What was that about?_

But the mask of calm soon descended his face again, and he addressed the newcomer, "Oh, I was not aware you would be joining us today, Zexion."

The young Nobody leveled his gaze at Xehanort, his eyes unwavering and defiant, arms still crossed. He looked down at Vexen from behind his long bangs, "Be careful that he doesn't send you on a wild goose chase, Vexen." He looked back up, sneering at the assembled Vessels, "For all we know he manufactured this entire incident to waste your time."

Vexen froze, unsure of what to do. The tension was so thick in the chamber that you could have bent light. Was Zexion really planning on openly defying Xehanort? Here? Now? He was outnumbered, out-gunned, even if Vexen joined him they'd be killed instantly. Vexen reminded himself to breathe, too scared to even move his chest far enough to inhale properly.

But Zexion was brimming with confidence. His body language was stiff, but clear. He was sitting on a card, but even he didn't know if he could win by playing it. But he must have felt that now was the time to play it, otherwise Vexen surmised he would have waited. Perhaps Castle Oblivion had taught him to play his game more aggressively.

All of the Xehanorts were analyzing the situation similarly. No one breathed a word as they each tried to work out what game Zexion was even playing. But Vexen did know one thing: there was hope. It was obvious none of the Xehanorts had been expecting Zexion today. That meant with the right moves, slavery under Xehanort could be escaped.

Finally, The Superior spoke, "As always, Zexion, you seem to know more than is expected of you."

"I want you to tell me where the Graveyard is," Zexion said flatly.

Vexen tilted his head, _Graveyard?_

This really got the Vessels' attention. Number 7 looked down at Vexen, "Leave us."

Vexen didn't even bother to bow. He sheepishly exited the meeting chamber, leaving Zexion to face down every Xehanort alone.

Once they were sure Number 4 had left their presence, all the Xehanorts cast glances at each other, then finally all turned to Zexion, who was still glaring down the Superior.

"How did you find out about the graveyard?" he addressed the Nobody.

"More importantly," Zexion retorted, "How did I find out about it while Xemnas was alive? I'm not recalling all the details at the moment," he added sarcastically, "but I do remember it was when he ran things around here."

All of the Vessels grew wide eyed. Zexion allowed his gaze to skirt to all of their faces. It was obvious Xehanort had not planned this contingency. _As is typical Xehanort, you never account for all the variables._

"Then," the harmony of Xigbar's voice addressed Zexion, "you are going to look for it now? Why, in order to buy yourself time? Or perhaps your freedom?"

Zexion got to his point, "If you don't tell me where it is, my Somebody will find it first."

The Superior clenched his fist, "Ienzo," he said broodingly.

"Correct," Zexion said, bringing his hand to his chin in thought, "I wonder what he will do when he discovers it."

For the first time, the Xaldin Vessel spoke, "What are his intentions, would you suppose?"

Zexion gave him a blank stare, "I presume he will try to retrieve anything of value he can use on you."

If things had been tense before, now they had grown outright unpleasant. Neither side was willing to be specific. Each party was trying to keep what information they did know secret, forcing the others to try and guess how extensive that knowledge was. But Zexion was confident in one thing: Xehanort knew more about his grand vision than Zexion did. His only bargaining chip was the idea that Zexion had more than enough information than could prove dangerous to Xehanort, and the lingering threat that he had laid a contingency to share that information with others.

The Superior sighed one of his nonchalant sighs, and extended his arm to Zexion, "And what information does he possess already?"

Zexion weighed his options in an instant, the gears turning in his head so fast it was they probably didn't even look like they moved, "Only that you left something there. Something very important." Now Zexion was feeling fearful. Xehanort would either choose to keep him around, as he had proven himself useful, or kill him outright. But there was one thing Zexion understood: Xehanort needed 13 warriors. And he was having difficulty getting past 12. Killing one would be a severe setback to his plans.

Number 5 leered down at the upstart Nobody, "I appreciate the information, Zexion. I will handle it."

The Superior finished his thought, "But do not think you will escape me by bargaining. I," he emphasized the word, almost like he was basking in the glory of himself, "am inevitable."

Without a peep, Zexion was swallowed in his own dark gateway, his brooding eyes locked on the face of Terra, until he vanished from the chamber, leaving Xehanort's little circle of himself to their plans.

* * *

><p>"So, you know for sure this Namine was here?"<p>

"Kara seemed to think so," Riku said solemnly.

Squall rubbed the back of his head, looking uncomfortable with the position he was in.

"With Kara gone the Unversed activity will slow," Ven added, "so it will be a bit safer to travel around for people."

"That's good to hear," Yuffie said. She leaned forward towards Riku and Ven, holding her hand to the side of her mouth like an aside, jerking her thumb of the other hand at Squall, "I was starting to worry he'd make us call him Leon again."

Yuffie's eyes bugged out as the gloved fist of Squall landed square on the top of her head, rubbing in a noogie, "You keep quiet," Squall said through clenched teeth, trying to contain his impatience with his second.

"One other thing," Riku added, pausing the sibling-like feud, "I think King Mickey was here. But we didn't actually see him in the castle."

"The king? In the Bastion?" Squall stroked his chin, "that's unusual."

"So you guys haven't seen him either?" Ven looked between the two commanders.

Yuffie shook her head, "Not a one! Closest thing to a king we have is Scrooge MacDuck."

Squall nodded approvingly, seeing that all the information had been covered, and addressed Riku, "So what's your next move?"

Ven looked to his companion, "Do you want to go after the King?"

Riku took a long while to answer. He seriously seemed to be considering it, but eventually shook his head, "No. Our mission was to stop Kara. We need to follow wherever she's ended up."

"So you'll be leaving soon?" Yuffie said a bit more restrained than anyone was used to hearing.

Riku nodded, "We'll probably leave tonight. I'd go right away but we just used a corridor to get into Maleficent's castle. It will be best to wait on exposing ourselves to that again."

Squall looked concerned, "You're going to have to use those corridors a lot more now, Riku. The way you describe them, it hardly seems safe."

The Keyblade Master's cheek twitched, and he waved it off, "I'll be fine. And they can't hurt Ven. We'll manage."

"You'll come back when you've dealt with Kara?" Squall asked.

"Naturally," Ven smiled, hands folding behind his head.

"When you find Sora," Cid spoke for the first time from his desk in the back, "tell him to come visit."

Riku looked over to the old pilot. He was doing his best to look focused on his work, but Riku noticed his eyes peeking over at the two keyblade wielders for any indication they'd agree. He was saved from the peering stare by Squall, "Yes, let us know if he's okay."

Riku smiled, "We'll do that."

Riku and Ven exited the command quarters. Spotting the red and white covers of an ice cream vendor, Riku waved Ven over. Grabbing two sea-salt popsicles, Riku tossed the vendor some extra munny and brought the blue ice cream to Ven, walking over to a stone bridge, and the pair hanging their feet down at the side, watching the bustling city.

Ven took a couple bites, but ultimately just stared at the ice cream, watching it drip, drop by drop, down into the cobbled street far below them. Riku couldn't bring himself to ask what was wrong. He knew it was more than not liking the flavor, but being open and understanding wasn't his forte. That was always more Sora's gig. The girls at school tended to idolize Riku for being so cool, but secretly he had always envied Sora and Kairi's relationship. He had always told himself it was because he allowed it, that Kairi was a girl he'd "spare" for Sora, believing he could have had her if he wanted. But girls passing Riku love letters was just a superficial exercise in popularity and the unobtainable. And though Riku was always seen as the most capable protector, the kind of boy you'd want to protect you in a dark alley at night, when things got tough, everyone talked to Sora and bared themselves before his innocence that Riku knew he would never experience. And that was what made Sora's Heart stronger than his, and had made Kairi fall in love with Sora, not Riku. It had taken losing everything to Xehanort to teach him that lesson.

But even if he lamented not being more like Sora, that didn't change the fact he didn't know how. Ven's was just an uncomfortable silence that Riku didn't know how to shake. Sora would have known the words to bring out Ven's warmth again.

"Hey Riku," Ven said quietly. _Unless he goes and breaks it for me._

"Yeah?"

Ven looked out across the Garden, "Do you think Ansem and Aqua have found out how to free Terra yet?"

"Not sure," Riku said, taking another bite of ice cream. _Smooth Riku…_

"You think they will?" Ven's voice wavered with fear.

"If there's anyone who knows how, it's Ansem the Wise," Riku spoke confidently, "And if there's anyone who has the will to free him, it's Master Aqua."

"Yeah," Ven said, only half-heartedly agreeing. "Will Xehanort stop them?"

Riku reflected on his battle against Xehanort with Aqua, "I have never met a Master as powerful as Aqua," he concluded, "and with Ansem helping her, I know they'll manage."

Ven looked at Riku, his lips parsed a bit and eyebrows cocked, "I thought Aqua was the –only- other Master you met?"

Riku shrugged and listed, "Well, there is that, too."

Ven smirked, appreciating Riku's effort for what it was, "Well, I'm glad she impresses you so much."

"She's an amazing woman," Riku said almost a little too quickly, and completely serious.

"Yeah," Ven said whimsically. Then, with more confidence, "You're right. She'll get it done."

Riku patted Ven on the back, the pair looking out over the sunset. Finally taking in the city for what it was worth, Ven mused, "Things really have changed since I was here last."

Riku nodded, his blindfold blowing gently in a soft breeze, "Yeah, tell me about it."


	16. Chapter 16  The Die has Been Cast

((**Author's Disclaimer**: _This chapter features Larxene potty-mouth, far more than my usual occasional curse word. It's still PG-13 level (barely), but it's definitely not K. You were warned. I'd soften it, but, well, you'll see._))

"The GRAVEYARD?" Aqua shouted, wide eyed and apprehensive.

Her blue-silver haired intellectual opponent kept his gaze steady on her.

Ansem interjected, "Ienz-…Zexion. Are you sure?"

"It's the only other lead I have. The other is to storm Xehanort's Keep in The World That Never Was. Are you honestly telling me that is the preferable option?" The young scientist was beside himself sometimes when dealing with the less analytical. Aqua's aversion to the place wasn't unwarranted, but logically it just made sense to pursue the easiest lead, even if it wasn't the most promising. Letting a fear or grudge get in the way of that was mind-bogglingly counter-productive to him.

Aqua seemed to think about it for a moment, "What about getting Ansem's computers to Radiant Garden? Could that work?"

"Assuming Roxas didn't destroy the relevant data when he trashed them? Assuming that data actually exists? I'm sure it would," Zexion said coldly. "But that's a slim chance, and will take days, perhaps weeks of sifting."

Ansem sighed, putting a hand on Aqua's shoulder, "Master Aqua…I must agree with Zexion. Bringing the computer cores to the Garden was an excellent plan in the absence of other leads. But if he knows something about Xehanort's activities, then there is far more hope in the route he proposes than this one."

Seeing the old sage take the same side against her made Aqua reconsider, hanging her head and biting her lip. After a few moments, she gave a stiff nod, "Alright, we'll try that. But how do we even get there?"

"Yes," Ansem stroked his beard, "the star shards are terribly difficult to fathom."

"What about Castle Oblivion?" Zexion asked quietly.

Aqua looked up at him, "What about it?"

"Would there be any clues there as to Terra's activities before Xehanort possessed him?"

"Not likely," she shook her head.

Zexion ticked, "If only there was a remnant of the Land of Departure, something untainted by its transformation."

Aqua blinked, and thinking for a moment, silently summoned Master Keeper, holding it up for Zexion, "Would this do?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow as he took the ornamented weapon from Aqua and examined it in his hands, "Your keyblade?"

"Not mine," she said definitively, "Master Eraqus' weapon. I've been using it for some time."

"Master Eraqus?" Zexion studied the weapon some more, his eyes flashing with calculations and probabilities. He gave Aqua a curious look, "This may just be enough."

"Oh!" Aqua reached into her pocket, pulling out her blue wayfinder charm, "I also have this," she said, holding it up, the little smiling figure dangling in front of Zexion's face.

Nodding, he took the charm in his other hand, "I think this will work."

"Zexion?" Ansem peered at his apprentice, "What are you planning?"

He looked up, like he had just realized he was thinking to himself and not conversing with the other occupants in the room, "Oh, I was simply theorizing…Castle Oblivion is a hollow realm of twilight. It uses memories to structure itself."

Ansem finished the thought for him, "You think you can form a memory chamber of the Land of Departure with these items?"

Zexion shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

"An excellent idea," Ansem pondered, "but we still have the same problem. We have no way of reaching it without the star shard."

"I could take the items myself," Zexion offered, looking to Aqua.

The Keyblade Master looked wounded. Her hands came to rest on Master Keeper and her wayfinder. Zexion almost immediately regretted asking, the pained expression on her face was more than he was comfortable with. She eventually shook her head, blue hair tossing slightly, "No, I can't let these out of my sight," she softly declared, taking them back from Zexion's hands.

Zexion seemed to disapprove of this overly emotional act again, but he graciously nodded, "Very well."

* * *

><p>"Unh!" Larxene was tossed aside like a doll, skidding across the dirt in the forest, twigs snapping as she careened through the brush.<p>

The Xigbar Vessel glowered at the blonde witch, his hand charging with Darkness.

"Wait," Marluxia interjected, but not yet taking the step of intervening, "We've lost the princess, but she's still on this world. We're trying to make some progress but there's no rhyme or reason to these pathways."

Xigbar's scarred face stared Marluxia down, "Are you telling me you're incapable of finding Alice?"

"Capable," Marluxia countered, "but hindered. We can do it, with more time."

Xehanort seemed to think for a moment, before nodding reverently, "Very well, Marluxia. You will have your time. But if Sora and his friends intervene here, there will be consequences."

Marluxia dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement, but Larxene was having none of it. She slammed her fist into the ground to help push herself back on her feet, charging with lightning and drawing out her kunai. Marluxia held his hand out to her, "Larxene, stand down."

"No," she said indifferently, "this coward has us do his dirty work, and calls us idiots for not completing his little chores fast enough? And look at him," she spat, "running away when you've rolled over like a good doggy."

Xehanort paused, turning his head only slight enough to see out the corner of his good eye, "Marluxia, control your subordinate, or I will."

"The Hell you will," Larxene scowled before Marluxia could respond, the streaks of bolted lighting encircling her body like a gown growing in intensity, "I'm gonna teach your smart mouth a lesson."

This seemed to pique Xehanort's interest, and he turned so the good side of his face was in sight of the pair, "Will you? I would very much like to see that," he taunted with a sharp toothed smile.

"Larxene!" Marluxia shouted, but he knew she was well beyond being talked down. Her mind was already circling itself in a loop of insults and offenses, a circular kind of logic that her pride wouldn't let her leave unanswered.

Larxene flew at Xehanort, her emerald eyes intensified with hatred, "You bastard, shut your mouth!" her fist, laced with her kunai, flew right towards the back of Xehanort's head, her entire body like the spear that would pierce him through. But Xehanort simply vanished in a shimmer, the Savage Nymph coming to a stop, head twisting around in every direction looking for her opponent, antennae hair flailing around with the energetic motions.

"Your speed is excellent," came a voice from above. Larxene turned her savage face upward, seeing Xehanort using the powers of Braig's body to levitate, his arms folded across his chest with an amused grin. "But your form could use improvement. You'll never beat anyone that way."

Marluxia felt that if looks could kill, Larxene would have already lit Xehanort on fire with her mind. Since no such rules surrounded spontaneous combustion, however, she made due using her body as a lightning rod, her arms stretching upward in a brutal elegance, like a ballerina, her long legs poised to help the energy flow through her body. She twisted her arms slowly down, like the limbs were a candle, melting downward towards her torso, and when she drew them into her chest, her head tilted down, chin tucking into her collar. The electric energy around her grew white hot, and a cold, expressionless face looked up to Xehanort, as both arms shot outward towards him, the bolts of lightning corkscrewing around each other towards their target. Marluxia had to cover his eyes, the power in the energy so bright that it made the forest around them look like night by comparison.

The face of their old comrade Xigbar smirked, drawing forth an ornate keyblade, and raising it over his head like a kendo master, swung downward, cutting the bolt of energy in half with the power of the blade, two halves of the funnel splitting off and fizzling into the warm air.

Larxene's expression had gone from anger to outright indignation. If she hadn't been gritting her teeth so hard into a snarl, Marluxia thought she might cry. She crouched down slightly, heeled boots sinking into the dirt before shooting herself upwards.

"Marluxia!" Xehanort shouted, his voice losing patience, like a parent counting to three.

Not wanting to find out his response when he got to three, Marluxia drew out his scythe, and swung a cutting blade of wind at Larxene, hitting her in the stomach and winding her. Her pained expression of surprise saddened Marluxia, looking away and wincing at the sound of her flying right into a tree, her back slamming hard against the wood, cracking the trunk with the impact.

Xehanort's face looked satisfied with a job well done, falling straight down to the forest floor, landing on his feet like a cat. He looked to Marluxia, the smug smile still on his face, "I'll leave you to it, Marluxia." Turning, he waved his hand, opening a dark gateway. He stood upright then, remembering something, and looked back at Number 11, "Oh, one final thing. Should Sora's princess arrive, the Key-bearer? She is not to be dealt with. Don't destroy her, don't capture her. Simply contain her interference." Without waiting for an acknowledgement, he stepped into his portal and was gone.

Marluxia didn't bother to hide his distaste for his master, and when he was gone walked over to where Larxene had fallen into the brush. He looked down on her with a pained expression.

Larxene wasn't feeling quite as compatriotic, "You jerk!" she swung her fist up, holding a kunai in it, at Marluxia's face, to be met with his pink blade. Marluxia's face hardened to an impatient stare, he was only feeling so generous towards Larxene's feelings. Larxene's upper lip sneered a bit and she fitfully brought her arm down, then in a rage threw the small dagger at a tree, burying the blade all the way to the handle.

"Larxene," Marluxia began, his voice a paragon of patience, "you know we can't fight Xehanort."

"Not if you don't help me," she pouted with none of her comrade's understanding.

"We had our chance, Larxene," he lamented. "Xehanort defeated Sora. And Sora defeated us, when he was much less powerful. We wouldn't even handle a single Xehanort, much less a group of them."

Larxene turned to face him, giving him a disgusted look, "Dying really wimped you out, Marluxia. Don't you have any self-respect left?"

Marluxia swallowed the insult with little joy, "I did once," his voice sounded distant, then, closer, "but that is a luxury that I can't afford anymore," he began walking forward along the path, resuming his course before Xehanort had appeared. Drawing his hood over his head, his voice sounded in mourning, "And neither can you."

Larxene fumed at him, glaring with almost as much rage as she had towards Xehanort, "I can't let it go. I refuse to become one of those…things." Marluxia simply ignored her, continuing on his course. Larxene quieted her voice, boiling in her anger, "I refused his shortcut before. I refuse it now." And then the fire in her burned out, leaving only the grief of her situation, her body softening, as even her muscles surrendered to hopelessness, "All I want is to have a break," she offered to the still forest meekly.

She rushed to catch up to her comrade, but hung back several steps behind Marluxia. Marluxia, for his part, had been content to let her be for now. At several points he thought he heard her sniffling, but kept his vision locked forward to give her privacy. Larxene would never forgive him for treating her like she needed sympathy, even if that was most of what he felt for her, besides his close friendship with the woman. It might have been near two hours of silence that the pair walked, neither gathering the courage to try to have a conversation.

They saw the Queen's castle in sight, Marluxia pointed it out to Larxene with a grunt.

"Back where we started," she grumbled. "Marluxia? Can't I just kill them all this time?"

"Tempting," he scowled. Larxene responded with a light giggle, causing Marluxia to smile that she seemed to be back to normal for now. Part of what was taking this search so long was the way this world was crafted. From what Marluxia gathered, Wonderland was actually two worlds, the most prominent of which was Wonderland proper. It wasn't the only world structured in such a way, Neverland came to mind for him, but Alice, the princess they were seeking, was from the second, more distant world. A world so obtuse that neither the caterpillar, the Cheshire cat, nor the Mad Hatter had even known its name. Which had brought them back to the Queen, seeking more answers.

As the two Nobodies reached the gates of the Queen of Hearts' castle, however, Larxene pointed to the sky. There was something resembling a storm cloud, except it seemed to be falling. As it got closer, Marluxia noted it was an orb of Darkness. It landed in the center of the castle, and expanded like a slow explosion, consuming the palace grounds. Marluxia held an arm out, brushing Larxene back. She didn't need his encouragement, and the pair took a leap backwards to avoid getting caught in the consumption. As the giant orb receded, it left the rose garden of the Queen black and bare, full of brambles and black roses. The grass had vanished, leaving the dirt, which was tinted a dark purple color.

Marluxia took a few steps forward, curious, "It's like…a foothold? The Realm of Darkness looks like this."

Larxene nodded in agreement but didn't say anything. The pair drew weapons, advancing on the castle, simply opening the gates. All about the castle grounds Heartless were popping up, observing them, some even coming very close, like the Nobodies were subjects of some whale watch, but never attacking them. They simply seemed curious in the two creatures of Darkness they hadn't expected.

As the Nobodies approached the causeway, the now decrepit-looking doors to the castle opened slowly. The pair paused, looking into the blackness inside the castle, seeing two golden, glowing eyes looking back at them. They presumed it was another Heartless, until the yellow shoe stepped out onto the causeway. Then the black keyblade swung out into the evening light.

"The brat?" Larxene stared dumbfounded at Sora, the keyblade wielder walking slowly towards them. He seemed little concerned with their presence, and stopped about ten paces in front of them.

He gave Marluxia a smile similar to the one Xehanort had given him, like Marluxia was a pet, or some other insignificant detail to the universe, "Marluxia." He turned to the other Nobody, "Larxene."

"Sora," Marluxia smiled, "you seem to be in good spirits considering our last meeting."

"I was angry then," Sora said simply, "and weak. But I'm past that now."

"So I noticed," Marluxia spoke with liquid charm. He turned to Larxene, but she was still staring wide eyed with her mouth hanging open. Marluxia smirked and turned back, "I never thought the keyblade master would ever be capable of this," his hand indicated the desiccated ground around them.

Sora's golden eyes gauged Marluxia carefully. He didn't seem to be expecting them more than they were expecting him. "I assume Xehanort sent you here?"

"Yes," Marluxia said, in full used-car-salesman mode, "But why are you here?"

"I started my journey here," Sora said flatly, "It seemed a fitting way to start my new mission."

Marluxia eyed the boy warily, "New mission? What adventure might that be, hm?"

"None of your business."

The pleasantries of the conversation had ended abruptly. Marluxia and Larxene readied their weapons, as Sora raised a hand, summoning several Heartless to his side. Oblivion struck through one of the shadows, spearing its black heart on the tip. Sora waved a hand over it, and the glow from the small Heart grew in intensity. Sora swung it over Marluxia and Larxene's heads, from it emerging a Behemoth, the massive Heartless roaring into the Wonderland sky. Larxene charged herself with lightning and charged backward towards it, proceeding to pick it apart with her nimble reflexes and raw offensive power. Marluxia stood his ground with Sora, a whirlwind of petals surrounding him. Each pink petal was a like an interceptor gun, and as Shadows leapt at him the insignificant Heartless were shattered into bubbles by a single flowery missile.

Marluxia felt that Sora didn't look as enraged as when he had battled him at Castle Oblivion, but with the Amber Eyes, he seemed much more terrifying. Before Marluxia could react Sora pierced his wind barrier and was right in his face. Clumsily Marluxia spun his scythe around, but was struck in the arm by Sora's keyblade, cutting him open as he leapt backward. Marluxia's empty hand glowed green with energy as he used his curative magics on himself, restoring the deep cut into his arm. He got back into stance, analyzing his situation. Larxene was still engaged with the Behemoth. She was obviously destined to be the victor, but she'd be some time. _There's only one appropriate strategy when fighting a superior enemy… _Marluxia twirled his scythe and ran right at Sora, slicing several cutting wind blades at the key-bearer. Sora dodged them with skill, but it was enough to keep him defensive in dodges and rolling maneuvers. A Neoshadow leapt from the ground at him. _Damnit!_ Marluxia could only block the Heartless' claws with his forearm, it was well inside his attack range. It was only a few seconds, but it had dug deep into his flesh with its sharp claws, before a concentrated buffeting by Marluxia's petals shattered the Heartless.

Focusing on his Curaga magic, Marluxia kept his eye on Sora. After a few seconds however, it was clear something was wrong. Sora let his defense down, his golden eyes focused on Marluxia's wound. Looking down, Number 11 saw the cut where the Heartless had injured him. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the wound looked open, behind it the black void of Darkness. A look of panic, and acceptance washed down Marluxia's face as he chuckled to himself. He clutched at the wound with his other arm, dropping his scythe to the ground, chuckling._ Damnit…so this is how it ends?_

Larxene heard her comrade's weapon drop, and turned to see Marluxia on his knees. Her face shattered into worry as she fired a bolt of lightning at the Behemoth, stunning it momentarily and rushing over to Marluxia, kneeling down in front of him and examining the wound. She paid no attention to the many Heartless closing in on her.

But the black on black creatures paused, looking curiously down the causeway. Sora's hand was outstretched commanding them to stop. Even the Behemoth got down on its paws, waiting for orders. The Heartless peered at the Nobodies interestedly, but backed away. Sora's amber eyes were more curious than ever.

Larxene looked to Marluxia's face, her bravado had been dropped, replaced with genuine concern for him.

Marluxia moved his hand to the side, exposing the void wound he now carried. It was slowly spilling Darkness out, and growing wider it seemed. "I'm sorry, Larxene," were the only whispered words he could manage, hanging his head in defeat.

"Marluxia," Larxene's face became one of desperate panic, "What's wrong? Tell me what's happening."

Marluxia's movements became jerky, like each motion was a struggle, as he looked into her deep, jade eyes, "I can feel him, Lar. It's my time."

Larxene shook her head, mouth open for a few moments as she struggled to find words. Her own desire welled up in her throat, caught there, choking her up. She finally managed to pop the bubble by digging her fingers into her palms, "No. Marluxia…fight it." She trembled and slapped his face, "Fight him, damnit! Don't let him win!"

Marluxia smiled softly, even as she struck him, "It's not about letting him win, Larxene. I just can't."

The Savage Nymph's shoulders shook as she fought back the sobbing in her voice, "No. You're not allowed to do this, Mar. Don't leave me all alone." Her arms wrapped around her friend's head and pulled it close into her shoulder, burying her tears into his long, beautiful hair, "You can't leave me alone!"

The tear in Marluxia's arm ripped up his body like fabric, the Darkness billowing out of him. Larxene worriedly pulled back, holding him by the shoulders, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Marluxia! Don't leave me!" Her voice cracked from the weight of her desperation, "You're not allowed to die before me!"

The dark wounds stopped spreading, and slowly began to seal. His head still hung down lifelessly. But Larxene watched his pale skin burn away into a dark, brown olive color. His hair faded to white, and when he looked up, his eyes were amber colored. He smiled at Larxene, "Your concern is touching….but unnecessary."

Larxene was speechless for the first time she could remember since becoming a Nobody. Sora's gaze narrowed at his sworn enemy.

"Do not worry for your friend," Xehanort said as he stood upright, brushing off his arms, "He is now part of me. He has a purpose, now."

Xehanort casually caught Larxene's fist in his palm, smiling his wicked, cocky smile. Larxene's face was tear-stained, and filled with fury. Her arm crackled with lighting, "Give him back…" she began swinging her fists at Xehanort, trying to beat him out of her partner, screaming at him with each punch thrown, "You bastard, give him back! Give him back!"

After he seemed to stop having fun with her, Xehanort deftly dodged to the side, and gave Larxene a hard kick to the ribs, sending her sprawling.

"Strike!" Xehanort narrowly avoided the glowing keyblade that flew past his face, his eyes widened with surprise. He had forgotten about the key-bearer. As he turned, Sora was already running straight at him, leaping into the air and catching Oblivion on its return pass, swinging it downward at Xehanort. It met an organic-styled key-blade, drawn by the new Vessel, the impact of the two weapons sending out a shockwave that kicked up dust around them.

Xehanort parried Sora's blade, the keyblade user ducking back to avoid a swing. With Xehanort and Sora in the same spot, the Heartless had vanished, not choosing to take sides, giving the Dark Master something of a reprieve. Xehanort's voice lost its mock charm and became steady and commanding, "Larxene, don't you think it's time to finish off this pest?"

Number 12's fist flew past his face, causing him to turn in time to see Larxene winding up her other fist, teeth gritted in rage, green eyes still watery. The woman was trembling with rage, all of the hatred pumping through her body like blood, voice cracking as she screamed at him, "I'll kill you!"

Larxene's swing impacted the cobbled walkway of the Queen's garden, shattering the stones and sending some flying as she struck where Xehanort had been, the wry Keyblade Master nimbly hopping out of the way. The force of her punch had rippled the very ground outward. In frustration she pointed at the imposter in Marluxia's body, "Xehanort, I'm going to rip off your head, and spit down your throat. All thirteen of them!"

Xehanort's demeanor was becoming sour. This entire situation was getting very bad, very fast. Killing Larxene would set his plans back further. He was already having trouble filling the spot vacated by Xion. Not to mention Sora had grown immensely more powerful than their encounter in the Realm of Sleep, and was apparently a Dark user like Riku now. Xehanort addressed the key-bearer, "Sora! Something occurs to me…you killed Yen Sid, didn't you, boy?"

Sora wordlessly stared him down, Oblivion in his hand charging with energy.

Xehanort chuckled, "Now it's making sense." Without warning he fired a Dark Firaga blast at Larxene, who leapt out of the way, landing behind Sora in a flanking position. Sora's amber eyes followed her, but he apparently endeavored to trust her for the moment. He adopted a more defensive fighting stance, ready to block any more shots fired at Larxene.

Knowing her defenses were covered, Larxene started charging a new attack, thunder strikes raining down from the sky around her as her body charged.

The old Marluxia took a defensive posture as well. _This silly trick again. Really. When will that little girl learn her place?_

But he hadn't noticed the shadow image that leapt from the brush at him, its fist charged with lightning like the original Larxene, its voice just as ruthless as her, too, "DIE!"

Xehanort's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the punch to his back, only barely managing to put up a defense so her blades didn't pierce his heart. He went tumbling forward as the prime Larxene fired her charged attack at him. His only option was to encase himself in a Dark Shield, the little compounded lenses covering him like a transparent shell, shattering when the power of the Nobody's attack slammed into it, exploding and tossing his body around like a doll.

Sora seized the advantage and rushed Xehanort, swinging Oblivion with the finesse of a trained warrior, cutting Xehanort deeply, the force of the slash so great it spun Xehanort's body like a corkscrew.

After finally landing, Xehanort summoned a dark gateway, breathing labored and obviously wounded, "I won't be giving up so easily, Key-Bearer." He glared at Larxene, "And you will meet the same fate as your friend, girl. It's your destiny. I cannot be escaped." He stepped back hurriedly to avoid a charging Sora, vanishing to what Larxene presumed was The World That Never Was.

Larxene's anger evaporated when Xehanort left sight. She hung her head dejected, merging back with her clone. She tried to fight back her tears, falling to her hands and knees, clutching at the earth._ I'm alone. Again._

Sora slowly walked towards Larxene, examining her. She didn't move to stop him at all. Sora's heart, for the first time since he had been split, felt pity. He turned his body, looking over the ruined Queen's castle, but addressed Larxene, "I'm sorry…for your friend."

Larxene bitterly tightened her grip on the dirt in her palms, squeezing it out grain by grain with the pressure.

Sora's head turned to look at Larxene, waiting for her to calm a bit before speaking, "Do you want to avoid his fate?"

Larxene sniffed, not looking up from the ground, "I want to kill that bastard."

"Alright," Sora conceded, "do you want your revenge?"

Larxene seemed to be interested in this, turning her head up, eyes defiant, "Yes."

Sora nodded, "Come with me," he gently said.

"How will that help me?" she scowled.

Sora lifted his keyblade, causing Larxene to leap to her feet and back a few feet. Sora held up a hand, "Trust me. Hold still," he said, extending the blade. "I can either turn you into Xehanort now, or free you, to have your revenge." His amber eyes burned into Larxene's soul, "Which do you really want?"

Larxene's defiant eyes let Sora know she was sure, "I want to kill him slowly."

Sora slowly pushed the keyblade forward, looking to her for permission. She gave him a nod, closing her eyes as he thrust the blade into her chest. After a few seconds, Sora seemed to find what he needed, withdrawing Oblivion, a dark orb of faded light on the tip. Larxene was never a brainy member of the Organization, but she recognized a Heart when she saw one. Sora's fingers plucked the Heart of Xehanort from the blade, holding it in his hand delicately, tilting his eyes up to Larxene, "This is Xehanort, everything he put into you." Larxene felt a sense of awe, seeing all of her demons in the past month in the boy's hand. Sora's expression hardened, his fingers crushing it like Larxene had squeezed the dirt between her fingers before, the Darkness of it evaporating into the air harmlessly. Sora looked into Larxene's eyes, as she looked gratefully into his, "And now he's dead."

Without missing a beat, Larxene corrected him, "Eleven more to go."


	17. Chapter 17 Be True to Thyself

The Nobodies who hadn't succumbed to Xehanort were quickly emptying their little fort at The World That Never Was. Demyx was pacing frantically, hands folded behind his back. His mind was running through all the possibilities that were awaiting the emergency summons by Xehanort. Zexion and Vexen were due back any time now.

When the door opened, only Zexion came through, shutting it quietly behind him.

Demyx blinked upon seeing only one comrade, "Vexen?"

"Xehanort sent him off to do some scouting," Zexion said solemnly. He sat down at Luxord's card table, looking to the door as if waiting for some intrusion. When nothing came, he started smirking, until bursting into outright laughter.

Demyx's eyes went from the door to Zexion, unsure if he should be terrified or laughing in tandem with Number 6. He idly fiddled with his gloves behind his back, tugging them further up his wrists despite being too tight already.

Zexion finally calmed himself down, letting out a relieved sigh, "Ah, I never saw that coming in a hundred years! Absolutely brilliant!" he smiled, giving the occasional stifled chuckle. Whatever amused him was certainly still raw and entertaining for the Nobody.

Demyx decided to do something he normally thought of as a dangerous gamble: starting a conversation with Zexion. "What's happened?"

The blue-silver haired Nobody addressed him with something resembling glee, "It's Larxene, the crazy witch."

"Did she turn?" Demyx asked, unsure to sound worried or excited. Larxene was the only member Demyx avoided more than Zexion. Zexion was creepy, but Larxene was downright mean.

"No," Zexion turned his head, "Marluxia did. During a battle with Sora." Demyx's attention was caught now, his eyes locked with the other free member, "And Larxene turned on him. Last Xehanort saw Larxene was chasing him into retreat with the Keyblade Master."

"No way!" the sitar player thought for sure he was being had.

"It gets better," Zexion continued, "Sora seems to be a Dark wielder now."

"C'mon," Demyx protested, "there's no way that little goody-goody went to Darkness. Not even Roxas used Dark powers."

"It does seem suspect, doesn't it?" Zexion agreed, "but there's no way that Xehanort would just make that story up." Number 6 broke out into laughter again, "It's far too fantastic, isn't it?"

"More like 'unbelievably stupid', or 'impossible'," Demyx protested, folding his arms across his chest.

Zexion buried his forehead in his palm, still laughing and shaking his head. As he regained his composure, something seemed to occur to him, "Hey, where's Axel? I want to be the one to share this with him."

"He's been sent on some secret mission," Demyx waved a hand dismissively.

"With Luxord?"

"Different mission."

"Ah," Zexion nodded. The two Nobodies then did their best to avert eye contact, looking around the white room, trying to engage in any idle business that meant they didn't have to talk. It was uncomfortable silence, but the two had never been very close, so it was probably on par with having to carry a conversation on with each other.

Eventually, Demyx did speak up, "Do you think Larxene will survive out there?"

Zexion's expression was serious, thinking about their suddenly ex-member, "Until Xehanort possesses her, I suppose."

Demyx fumbled his thoughts around in his mind. He wasn't a stupid man, but Zexion had this habit, like Vexen, to make otherwise useful arguments sound like brain farts, "You think Sora can do for her what Vexen thinks Riku can do for us?"

There was a pause, so long in fact Demyx looked to Zexion's face just to make sure he had heard. He saw the youngest Nobody weighing all the statistical probabilities behind his eyes, "Not sure," was the only quiet answer he could give. "But," he added, "I do know this. We'll at least be avenged."

Demyx tilted his head, "Meaning?"

Zexion's face was serious, looking to Number 9, "I mean that I saw Marluxia's body. He was injured. Badly injured. Even if Sora doesn't have the wisdom to save us from him," Zexion's hand clenched bitterly, "at least he'll kill every last one of Xehanort. I'm certain of it," he concluded. Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but at least he felt he had hope.

* * *

><p>Kairi, Lea, Donald, and Goofy found themselves arriving in a familiar place. Though, with the restoration of the worlds, most of the place seemed like it was decaying. There were far fewer residents here than there had been in the past. Each hoped that with Sora's recent actions, that wouldn't be changing again.<p>

"Traverse Town," Lea identified their surroundings, rubbing the back of his head, "been a long time since I've been here."

"Us too," Donald said.

The group followed the familiar streets, the dark, evening skies seemed to enhance the lonely feeling of the enormous town. It seemed most of the building remained abandoned, hastily erected during the Heartless Crisis. But when most of the refugees had been restored to their worlds, Traverse Town itself was left an empty shell, its few inhabitants left trying to adapt. They tried to visit many of the places they remembered, checking if any of their old friends had remained. Certainly Leon's place had been abandoned, but they made their way to Merlin's anyway, to find it in ruins as well. Cid's shop was now being run by the Moogles, who for some reason didn't seem to have the same laws regarding their homeworld as other creatures in the universe. Donald and Goofy still had some credit at the old hotel, and they checked in for a room. It seemed at every stone, every lamppost, the pair had a story for when they traveled with Sora, though their laughter and smiles were somewhat inhibited after their encounter with their old leader.

Kairi, too, remembered the twilight city. Last time she had been here, she was helpless, of course. She remembered asking to join Sora on his mission to save Riku, and being flatly rejected. Being Sora, it hadn't been hurtful in the least, but it had disturbed her that the divide between she and Sora was growing during his adventures. The summer vacations at the Island would grow ever more distant. It was why she had leapt at the opportunity to fight. What better way to help her friends than to not be a helpless little girl as she had been during the Organization Incident? At the very least, she had vowed not to be a pawn to be gambled with against Sora. And, on the more personal level, she felt maybe, this time, she would be joining Sora on his adventures.

Kairi stopped walking in the middle of the street and buried her face in her hands, weeping. Her companions paused. Lea wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest. He looked to Donald and Goofy, nodding, "You guys remember the way to the café right? In the First District? Why don't you go there, we'll catch up. We could all use a break."

The King's retainers nodded, looking to Kairi helplessly before making their way. Though they endeavored to be strong, their hearts were breaking as much as the Princess.

After feeling enough time had passed, Lea looked at Kairi, "Alright, kid, I know it really sucks. But everything will work out. I'm sure of it."

She tried to open her eyes, but just shut them again, resting her head against his chest, "Why did he do it, Lea? What happened?"

Lea fussed for any words, not having a concrete answer, "Not sure. But, Roxas is still in there, somewhere. And he won't let Sora stray beyond the point of no return."

Kairi seemed to want to take comfort, "I thought Roxas was in Ventus?"

Lea nodded, "Part of him, sure. But even if we lost our Hearts? Our Nobodies remain with us," he smiled down at her.

Kairi inhaled deeply, trying to regain composure. After a few seconds, she nodded, stepping away from Lea, "We're going to save him, right?"

Lea winked, giving her a thumbs up, "Absolutely! It's a promise."

As the pair of key-bearers turned around a corner, they saw a figure who seemed to be waiting for them. Neither of them was completely sure what to make of the figure in the Organization coat. Most distracting was his flaming red hair and the tattoos underneath his eyes.

"Yo," Axel said, giving them a sarcastic wave.

"What the-" Lea got on his guard, Kairi doing the same.

"Funny, right?" Axel said, his voice taking on that strange kind of light threat that was customary to when he was about to do something morally suspect. "Xehanort sends me here and the first thing I'm drawn to is you. Like a black hole sucking me in." Lea and Kairi were quite cold towards the Nobody. Axel didn't seem to have a lot of patience for them though, sighing, "I'm not here to cause trouble, okay?"

Kairi glared at him, "You're working for Xehanort, aren't you? That means everything you do is trouble."

Axel scratched the side of his head, "Well, ya got me there." He looked to Lea, "You remember, don't me?" he smirked, "either be the attack dog or get turned into a Dusk. Or, in my case, simply cease to exist. Like Xion."

Lea didn't seem to be too placated, and drew his keyblade. Axel quickly drew his chakrams, the twin copies staring each other down.

Axel raised an eyebrow, smirking, "Oh, hit a nerve did I?" He seemed to be enjoying taunting Lea, "What's the matter, pal, too ashamed of what you and Roxas did?"

"We were different people then," Lea said flatly.

"Oh come on!" Axel threw his arms up in disbelief, "that's not the way it goes. You can try to sell the little girl this crap about you and Roxas, but you can't fool me." His eyes were almost on fire, like an inquisitor taken with fervor, "You would be ashamed of the kind of person you were back then. You are, in fact, aren't you?"

Lea didn't answer save by tightening his grip around his weapon.

Axel waved a hand in Kairi's direction, "Why don't you tell her about it? How Xion came to you, begging you to destroy her? To put her out of her misery? But you just couldn't do it, could you?" Lea bit his lip, averting his eyes in shame. Axel continued to berate his Somebody, "Instead you left it to Roxas. You wanted him to solve it for you. Typical of you I suppose, running away from your problems." Not feeling his point was made, Axel smiled and shrugged his shoulders sarcastically, "No wonder he didn't remember you. I'd try to forget you if I had an excuse-"

Lea's keyblade clashed with Axel's fire wheels, catching the weapon in the many netted rings. Axel smirked at Lea's expression of anger as he parried the weapon with the tangled wheel, "Oh? Didn't you say you wanted everyone to remember our name? Don't be ashamed of the person we are!"

"Enough!" Kairi shouted, causing both Axel and Lea to turn in surprise. "Lea's not that kind of person anymore. So stop trying to make him feel bad."

Axel smirked, chuckling, "Kairi, right? You don't have to take my word for it. Just ask him about all the nasty things he did as me." Axel tried to tug his wheel away from Lea's keyblade, but the mess of metal was so complete that all he could do was fuss with it comically. Sighing, he simply started to summon a dark gateway around himself, the blackness encasing him like a shell, and vanishing along with his weapons.

Lea's face was solemn, and he stiffly put his keyblade away. Kairi looked to him anxiously, "Lea? Are you-"

"Donald and Goofy will be waiting," Lea said quickly, not even bothering to turn to her. "We should be going," he started off briskly towards the First District. Kairi gave him a concerned look, and followed him through the empty streets.


	18. Chapter 18  What an Actor Dies in Me

Alice was quite concerned. She remembered the black creatures with yellow eyes. But she had always thought they were restricted to Wonderland, like all of the other denizens she encountered there. What was happening that had led them to England?

Alice rushed down the back of her parents' manor, heading for the tree that marked the rabbit hole. If Wonderland was truly bleeding over into the real world, in such a great degree, more than a silly rabbit, she had to find out. As she approached the bushes that hid the rabbit hole from view, she noticed a few Heartless around it. They didn't seem to be going anywhere special, just kind of loitering around the pathway to Wonderland. Alice waited, and when she saw the two shadowy creatures vanish, she rushed right at the hole, leaping headlong into a dive down into Wonderland. She had sworn she would never visit this God-forsaken place again. Certainly it had been wonderful, but the wonder was so surrounded by terror it was hard to appreciate. Still, with Heartless in the English countryside, and as far she knew, she was the only Human who knew of Wonderland, it was her duty to help if it was within her power.

Coming to a gentle stop after the fall into Wonderland, she followed the rabbit tunnel to the Bizarre Room. Presently she found herself shut off from the exits, gasping at the sight of several Heartless. Drinking a potion she saw close by, she grew to a larger size. The now-tiny Heartless retreated, and gulping visibly, Alice opened the door that would hopefully lead her to the Queen's Court.

Almost immediately the door shut behind her, leaving her to squeak in surprise. This seemed to draw the attention of some more humanoid-like Heartless. Panicking, Alice struggled to open the door back into the Bizarre Room, but it refused to budge. She dashed to the side, but the forest path was blocked by two more Heartless. They circled around her, almost like they were calculating the risks of attacking. Alice suddenly caught on, remembering her time in the world called Hollow Bastion. There, she and five other Princesses of Heart had held the Heartless at bay. Something about beings made of pure Light was repellent to them. Tempting fate, she took an aggressive step forward, the five Heartless around her each stepping back in surprise. Taking a few more steps, the Heartless kept their distance for a time, but they seemed to be circling her as she walked. They seemed to realize that she wasn't going to attack them, and as she walked cautiously, the Heartless themselves grew bolder, growing ever more tenacious, until one took a swing at her with its sharp claws. Alice managed to avoid being hit, but her dress was torn through by the creature, and she saw the others readying to attack her. She clutched her arms to the side of her head and dropped to a crouch, trying to protect herself from the inevitable.

"Bur-ah!" a huge fist came slamming down on a Heartless, destroying it completely. No grisly death came to meet, Alice, and she opened her eyes to see a tall, rotund cat taking a defensive position by her, his gloved hands balled into fists like a boxer, "Alright, you guys don't wanna take orders? Well alright then, bring it on!"

As the Heartless leapt at Pete, he expertly managed to slam his fists into every one, his Dark energy just enough to prove damaging to the monsters. One of the attackers was destroyed, and though the other three looked fine to fight, they seemed to decide retreat was the best option, and faded into the forest's shadow.

"Ha! That's right! Scurry off!" Pete taunted. Turning to the little English girl, he held out his large hand for her to take, "Gee, miss Alice is it? I'm glad we got to you in time."

Alice hesitantly took the hand of her rescuer, "We? You came with someone else?"

Pete nodded, looking behind one of the hedges, "Hey, Maleficent! She's over here!"

Alice gasped when Pete's companion came into view, backing away from the both of them towards the forest's edge. "You!" She remembered the horned woman with the black cloak. She was the one who had taken her from Wonderland the first time.

"Easy child," Maleficent raised a hand, "we're not here as enemies."

Alice scoffed at the devious woman's tone, "Right! So I'll just thank you then and be on my way," she said, backing away from the pair slowly.

Maleficent raised her staff, the emerald within glowing a bright green. Alice covered her face, but instead heard something behind her burning. She turned to see a Heartless only a few paces away, probably one of the ones Pete had chased off. It had apparently emerged from the shadows when she was focused on Maleficent, but now it was twisting in green fire as it burned into nothingness.

"Miss Alice," Pete apologetically offered, "we're sorry to be so blunt, but it really is in your best interests to come with us."

"You're attacking my world!" Alice protested, still with indignation in her voice.

"Oh, think for but a moment!" Maleficent's temper seemed to be spent, "if we were attacking with the Heartless, why would we need to fight them to protect you?"

Alice seemed to reconsider for a moment, but was still jaded from her previous encounter with the witch, "Perhaps they have simply grown too wild for you to control anymore. Or, perhaps it is an elaborate hoax! Yes, that is the sort of thing ruffians like you would plan."

Maleficent glared at Alice, not really helping her position at the moment, "You remember the cloaked man with me? Xehanort's Heartless? He is most likely the one controlling these creatures. We can protect you, but only if you come with us."

"Xehanort's not really a problem, anymore," a familiar voice behind them said.

Maleficent and Pete parted to look behind them. Alice saw a friendly face finally, "Sora!" she said, running forward, but stopping. There was something wrong with him, she could see that merely in the way he carried himself. To say nothing of the rudeness in his voice, which was a surprise to Alice. The boy had always been extremely polite. And that was before she took into consideration the way he, for lack of a better word, felt. There had been a warm purity in him on their last encounter. But now, he was distant, cold. If Alice had reached out for him, she got the distinct impression she could never reach him.

There was also a blonde woman behind him, and her look was plain savage. Alice felt she trusted her even less than Maleficent.

"Sora," Maleficent's voice was surprised, but almost eerily, it was friendly, "How droll to find you here."

"What are doing here, Maleficent?" Sora sounded like the witch was just inconveniencing her and he didn't have the time for her nonsense.

"Why, protecting the princess from the Heartless, of course."

Sora and his companion exchanged looks. Sora looked up with golden eyes, and snapped his fingers. An enormous Behemoth rose out of the ground. Pete gulped, looking up at the enormous purple and grey Heartless. Maleficent just seemed amused, "Oh? So you have finally come round to your senses?"

"Something like that," the key-bearer replied. "Now, why don't you leave before you get hurt."

Pete puffed up his chest, getting between Maleficent and Sora, "Now hold on there, buddy, who do you think you're talking to? We were here first, get your own Princess!"

Sora's bored eyes locked onto Pete, "Larxene."

The savage woman behind Sora giggled. Pete winced, realizing his terrible mistake as she rushed him, delivering a stern kick with her heeled boots before he even knew what was happening. She laughed hysterically at the fat cat, "Oh come on, buddy. I thought you'd be a little more of a challenge." She turned to Maleficent, sticking her thumb at Pete disapprovingly, "If he's the best you can do, lady, you should get the hell out of our way."

"Enough!" Maleficent shouted, "I have no use for servants of Xehanort in my presence!"

"Oh, those aren't servants," a harmonized voice spoke as a dark portal opened behind Sora. A quick shadow leapt out, destroying the Behemoth that Sora had summoned. Two more portals opened, and two hooded figures emerged. As they pulled down their hoods, the first shadowy figure joining them, Alice did indeed finally recognize the dark skin and white hair from the incident in Hollow Bastion.

Sora turned, facing down the vessels of Terra, Braig, and Marluxia.

"Hand over the princess," Terra's voice spoke, "she's all we want." All three copies of Xehanort drew different keyblades. Terra drew an enormous, ornate weapon that reminded Sora of one of the Ultima series of blades, colored black with a demon's head carved into the hilt. The tip had an eye in it, like the Soul Eater that Riku wielded while he served the dark Keyblade Master. Marluxia drew a twisting, vine like blade, and the Braig clone had a blade that seemed like it was made of crystal, similar to his shooters.

"You!" Larxene barely waited for Xehanort to make his demands before rushing at the trio. The Marluxia vessel held out his hand, causing Larxene to stop. Similar to how Braig had dealt with her in the castle, Marluxia tore scars throughout Larxene's entire body. Larxene looked like she had just been struck by lightning, screaming and dropping her weapons to the ground. She thrashed around in pain, Sora wide eyed at the cruelty Xehanort displayed to her. Larxene bit her lip until it bled, smacking her forehead into the dirt. So vicious was her assault that her forehead tore open bleeding, sobbing uncontrollably that there was no way to rid herself of the agony.

The expression on the Marluxia vessel was curious, as he seemed to be sifting through his old subordinate, "What's this? You've been rid of my essence?"

The Terra copy narrowed its eyes at Sora, "Impressive, boy. But that matter is rectified simply."

Larxene's screams of wailing agony suddenly cut off, as she felt the burning pain subside. The three Xehanorts glared to the rear, where Maleficent's staff crystal glowed strongly as she cast a shielding spell around the blonde Nobody. Pete stood up, still slightly dazed, but planted one of his heavy feet down in front of Larxene, smirking at the three clones before him, "Now I'm glad you want to help, guys. But I've got a score to settle with this girl. Why don't you run along," he wagged his fingers at the Xehanorts, dismissing them out of hand.

Terra's voice seemed to be rising in temper, "Maleficent…think about what you're doing."

Maleficent seemed about as dismissive as Pete, "Oh but I am, Xehanort. As I recall the previous two times we've met, you tried to kill me." She flashed a ring of green fire behind her, sealing Alice in a protective barrier, turning to the Princess, "Stay there, girl, if you know what's good for you."

Alice was beside herself. She had no idea who was on the right side anymore. All she could do was nod dumbfounded. She watched the three misfits take battle positions against the clones, the blonde girl slowly healing herself as her wounds sealed, but still unable to rise.

Sora's eyes glanced backwards momentarily, his voice lowered so none of the vessels could hear him, "Maleficent," he said commandingly, "take Larxene, and get Alice somewhere safe. Yen Sid's tower should be empty."

Maleficent seemed surprised by Sora's nobility despite his fall to Darkness, "Are you sure you can keep them off our trail?"

Sora twirled Oblivion in one hand, his other charging with Dark lighting, "I can handle it," his chipper voice sounded like the old Sora for a moment.

Maleficent nodded to her minion, "Pete! Get that girl! We're leaving!" she commanded, nodding to Larxene.

Pete looked confused, but then again he was often confused by many of Maleficent's orders. Even so, he knew to obey them, and was very good at doing that. He scooped up the rebellious Nobody in his arms, who struggled against him, "No," she protested weakly, "I'm going to…gonna kill him…"

"Larxene!" Sora shouted, "Trust me and go with Maleficent!"

The witch walked quickly back towards Alice, opening a dark portal that Pete hurriedly ran through carrying Larxene. Maleficent offered her hand to the young Princess, "My dear, if there was a time to trust me, now is that time." Behind her, Sora blasted the Braig vessel with his charged hand of lightning, dashing to the side to try and intercept the other two vessels.

Alice nodded, and went with Maleficent through the dark portal, the last thing she saw was Sora being pushed back by the three copies of Xehanort, his face painted in rage.

* * *

><p>"Axel?!" Donald shouted, disturbing the entire café.<p>

"Yeah," Lea said, rubbing his eyes, "just keep it down, will ya?"

"Sorry," the magician said sheepishly.

"What's he doing here? Did he tell you?" Goofy asked more to the point.

"No," Kairi answered. She looked at Lea hesitantly. She hadn't liked the things Axel had said about Lea. But more than that it was like he enjoyed it. Lea hadn't even really argued against the things Axel claimed. It was a weird, awkward kind of self-loathing she wasn't prepared to help him with, even though she would have liked to.

"Regardless," Lea said, "we have to be on the lookout for Heartless and Nobodies. There's no telling what Xehanort wants here."

"There are no princesses on this world," Donald observed, "should we really be wasting our time here when there's more important things to worry about?"

Kairi pulled out the orange star shard, "the star shard isn't responding. It wants us to be here. We might as well hang around until it decides it's our time to leave."

Lea let his eyes wander, mind still on the conversation with…himself. That's when he thought he saw something impossible, "What the…" he looked at his companions as he rushed out of his chair and across the outdoor seating at the café, "you guys wait here."

Donald blinked and looked to the others, "What do you think that was about?"

Running up the stairs and to the back alley Lea thought he saw it go, he drew his keyblade. There was no one around. "Damn," he said to himself, "I thought I saw Kara." Further down, he saw a turn in the alley. Shrugging, Lea continued down, peeking down and saw exactly what he thought. With one added detail. Kara was speaking to Axel.

"Sorry," Axel said, "but that's all he told me. If you want more, you're just going to have to wait for orders. After all you're the one who jumped world. He's adjusting his plans."

"He promised," Kara pouted, "he said that he would show me my purpose!"

Axel didn't seem to think much of that answer, "Trust me, kid," he said, "you don't want Xehanort deciding your purpose."

Lea stepped forward, tapping his keyblade against his shoulder, "Make your own destiny, no matter what anyone says," he spoke loudly to get the attention of the two dark beings. He tapped his own forehead, "Got it memorized?"

"You," Kara scowled sourly at him. The fact it was Namine's face was hurtful, especially after his conversation with his copy.

Axel drew his wheel chakrams, "What, no back up this time?"

"I'm just here to talk," Lea said casually. His eyes darted side to side, trying to remain cool as a multitude of Unversed appeared.

"Hey," Axel said, "I've got an idea, why don't you take his power? Be a somebody?" he offered to Kara, indicating Lea.

"You know," Lea snarked, "that's somewhat less fraudulent than when we used it on the Replica."

"You're annoying," Kara said flatly as two Unversed leapt at Lea, which he slashed through easily.

"I don't know what you're doing here," Lea said, pointing at Kara, "but I'm going to put a stop to it."

"I was only looking for my sister," she hissed, "leave me alone!"

"Your sister?" Lea seemed confused, "well Kairi's here. Do you want to talk to her?"

The mere mention of Kairi's name caused Kara to grit her teeth, her Dark aura growing stronger. Axel swayed, taunting his Somebody, "You know I think this universe isn't big enough for two of us."

Lea smiled, "You know you're right. On top of that, we can't have Lea and Axel at once. How will people remember our names?"

Axel smirked warmly, "You see my point then?"

Lea nodded, "Yeah, there can only be one of us," he crouched into a fighting stance, "I think we can make that happen." He leapt at his doppelganger, swinging his blade. The pair of fighters didn't seem to get anywhere, perfectly blocking each other, perfectly synced with counters and parries. Both became so engrossed in the fight that neither seemed to realize there was an outside world. Then Axel leapt backwards, and as Lea let his guard down to pursue him, he felt a sharp fire in his chest. He looked down to see Kara impaling him with some kind of Keyblade, a smirk on her face. Lea's own Keyblade faded in a sheath of Light. Clutching at his chest, he tried to stop himself from collapsing, "Wha-…what?"

Axel wasn't quite expecting this, looking at Kara with confusion. Her sadistic grin turned on him next, "Well Axel? Don't you want your own power?"

Axel stepped forward slowly, "What did you do to him?"

Kara seemed to shrug, "I let his Heart open. Now he's just what I say he is. He could be you?" she offered, looking up at him.

Lea tried to struggle backwards, but his body refused to obey him. The Axel copy started to glow, advancing on him. Lea seemed to find struggle useless, hanging his head low as he finally understood, "Roxas…Ven…Xion…I'm…I'm sorry…" he whispered as the Darkness enveloped him completely.


	19. Chapter 19 Our Sora's in Another Castle

Riku and Ventus emerged from a dark portal. Neither was particularly happy at what had transpired, but they were stuck. With no leads on Kara, the only option was to head back to where they started.

But the image of a still-ruined tower was not what they expected to find. Riku removed his blindfold, looking confused at the mess still strewn about the ground. Pieces of the golden sandstone rubble still lay in chunks all around Yen Sid's gardens. The holes blasted into the lower reaches of the tower were still gaping open.

Riku drew Road to Dawn, though more on instinct than in the presence of an actual threat. Ven did the same merely out of concern, "Riku?"

The platinum haired key-bearer shook his head, "Something's not right," he said, advancing. Ven nodded, twirling Oathkeeper in his hand and following. As they crept up the stairs, Riku started to let his guard down a bit. There weren't any enemies to fight, if there had been his sense of smell would have given them away. The twists of the tower were even creepier than the ruins of Hollow Bastion had been.

Coming to the top, Riku opened the door, peeking in. He saw no signs of life, but Yen Sid's study was trashed. Papers were strewn about everywhere, and his desk was overturned. "Yen Sid?" he called out.

"Hey," Ven said, pointing to the door in the side, "you think he's in there?"

Riku seemed unsure. Mickey had warned him in no uncertain terms that Yen Sid's meditation chamber was never to be breached. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. But Riku already knew the answer. Opening the door, he found an empty room. He turned back, shaking his head at Ven. Then, in a panicked whisper, "Sora…" he slammed the door shut and ran down the stairs to the ceremony room. Opening the door, he found the bed where he had left his friend empty.

Now Riku was beginning to panic, putting both hands around his mouth, "Sora! Yen Sid!" he called, listening intently for any response.

Ven approached him, his voice unsure, "Sora's not here either?"

"No," Riku sighed, "they're both missing."

Ven looked around nervously, "Where could they have gone?"

_CRACK!_ Riku's fist slammed into the stone wall, "I don't know!" he shouted, despondently looking at the floor. He hung his head, sighing, already regretting raising his voice at his companion.

"Whoa, easy," Ven held up his hands, "they're bound to be around somewhere. We just have to find them. Okay?" he tried to catch Riku's gaze, giving him a reassuring smile.

Rubbing his forehead, Riku nodded, "Right. We'll split up, okay?"

Ven nodded, heading up a different stairway. Riku kept trying to pick up any remnant Darkness in his senses, but if there had been a struggle, it was so long ago the scent of it was gone. His fingers curled into a fist, squeezing tight in his glove. _That would have had to be right after we left. If I had waited a day or two… _He growled, slamming his fist like a hammer into the stone wall again.

Riku's search turned up fruitless, no better than Ven's. As the pair met again in the garden they both looked up at the tower. Ven looked to Riku uncertainly, "What do you want to do now?"

Riku didn't answer for a time, but eventually he caught his thoughts in one place, "Kara is still our responsibility. But we have to find Sora and Yen Sid."

"You think Xehanort might have gotten him?" Ven asked quietly.

Riku squeezed a fist again, "I hope not." Ven looked at the older boy, his expression hidden in his silver-blue hair. More than anyone, Ventus understood what it was like to have lost a friend, constantly one step behind him. Ven felt he should comfort Riku, but his instincts told him Riku wasn't one to take comforting words. So instead, Ven stood with him, his presence enough to display his resolve to help.

After a time, Riku reached into his pocket, withdrawing his blindfold, and putting it back over his eyes. Turning and walking away, his voice was hard with determination, "We're leaving."

"Are you sure? You think you can handle it?" Ven clarified himself, not wanting to sound patronizing.

"Yeah," Riku said, face stern, "I've never been more sure," he waved his hand in front of him, a dark gateway opening up, as he led Ventus to another destination.

* * *

><p>Vexen cursed his rotten luck. <em>Of all the lousy ways to be relegated to the sidelines,<em> hunting through the Underworld was not the way he wanted to be spending his time. Xehanort was apparently calling out his old contacts, and Vexen was the messenger boy. _Not so eager for me to find the source of Darkness now that we know it's Sora…_

As he approached the grey river that bordered the Coliseum and the Underworld, Vexen saw the enormous guardian of the gate waiting, eyeing him intently, but not yet making a move. Vexen merely opened a portal, stepping through to move past the guardian dog Cerberus. Unfortunately the pathways down here were not as exact as they used to be, and Vexen squeaked inaudibly, finding himself right between the three headed dog's front paws. Peering up at the enormous beast, Vexen's green eyes tried not to panic, as the three heads of the dog turned down, apparently waiting for each head to in tandem see the intruder. The titanic dog let out a deep growl, each head in turn joining the chorus. Once they had all started their shared hum of distaste, they began barking and snapping down at the Organization's scientist. Vexen crafted a slide of ice to behind him, crouching down into his shield and scraping down the long tube he had created for himself like some kind of slalom. Cerberus roared and snapped his enormous teeth at the ice track, but missed the Nobody entirely. He gave chase but his leash was quite short, and he was left snapping at the uninvited guest in the distance.

Number 4 made his way down the twisting stair, the green and grey gaseous spirits of the Underworld howling in a dramatic chorus. The more Vexen listened to what he felt was background noise, the more he swore he could have heard chants, but what they were saying was unintelligible. _Preposterous. It's just the noise of the dead. There's nothing to support the idea they could work in tandem after expiring_. Even so, his logic wore thin after almost an hour of descent into the kingdom of Hades.

Finally coming to the onyx castle, rumored to be the most beautiful and ornate throne in Olympus, Vexen encountered two imp-like creatures. Looking down, he sneered at them at they tried to stare him down, "I'm looking for Hades."

"Did ya hear that Panic?" the pudgy pink one sarcastically addressed his partner, "he says he's here to see Hades."

"Well of course he's here to see Hades," the thin green one chattered, "everyone's here to see Hades."

"Or to be dead!" the pink one shouted, his finger in the air as a declaration of principle.

Vexen rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, sighing, "Where is he, already?"

The green imp pointed his finger accusingly at Vexen, "What gives you the right to see Hades, huh?" he said, jumping up and down.

Vexen's expression grew impatient, seizing the bouncing minion by the horns and lifting him to eye level, "Get me Hades, and tell him Xehanort has a proposal for him. And tell him…NOW!" he threw the imp face first towards the gate into the castle proper, accompanied by a scream and thump as the green imp hit the stonewall. Pulling himself upright, he scurried into the castle, fetching his master.

"Hey, we got rights!" the pudgy one objected.

Gritting his teeth and losing his temper, Vexen practically screamed at the nuisance, "You want to be next?"

The pair stood in opposing silence, waiting for Hades to arrive to settle the matter. Soon the gates opened, the blue skinned Lord of the Underworld emerging, Panic right behind him. Hades' black cloak fogged near the floor, and his sharp teeth were almost always smiling. His hair was a gentle blue flame, though in times of anger, it tended to burn red with rage.

"I don't believe we've met," he sardonically addressed Vexen, approaching the Nobody, and extending his hand, voice serious and snippy, "Hi, how ya doing? Hades, Lord of the Dead."

Vexen didn't shake his hand, instead getting straight to business, "Master Xehanort wishes to discuss the matter of Maleficent with you," he said casually, looking right into the God's eyes.

Hades stood upright at the name, but soon caught himself, cracking a smile and looking around for validation that Vexen had just told a joke, "Pfft, what, Xehanort? What does he want with me, c'mon? Fella, you've gotta let bygones be bygones, there's no way I'm joining Xehanort's little doomsday plague, 'kay?"

Vexen got the sneaking suspicion he had figured out why Xehanort had sent a minion instead of coming himself, "Xehanort wants to know only if Maleficent has contacted you," he said, his voice losing a note of patience.

"Maleficent?" Hades said, hand coming to his chin. He studied Vexen, trying to gauge exactly how badly Xehanort wanted this information. "I can't say I've been invited to any bar mitzvahs recently." His voice was completely serious now, understanding his bargaining position, "Why exactly does Xehanort want to know about her?"

Vexen's eyes didn't betray his uncertainty, but he shifted a bit uncomfortably, weighing his options, "Xehanort believes that Maleficent will stand against him as she did last time. But he doesn't think she will try it alone. She's bound to receive help." Vexen's voice grew more confident, "And as one of two members of her council still alive, and the only one un-imprisoned, you would seem to be her first logical ally."

Hades started walking around, casually addressing Vexen like he was trying to sell him something, "Okay, so, you guys are having a little bit of a human resources issue. I get it. Maleficent's off the reservation and you're not sure everything will be ready for homecoming. But trust me, pal, if I need company, I have a wide berth of the walking dead to choose from already."

Vexen sighed, "If she contacts you, we will be checking in to find out what she wants."

If Hades had gotten any oilier with charm, his arm would have slipped off Vexen's shoulder as he wrapped it around his guest, "Of course, we'll keep a look out. But honestly I'm up to my eyeballs in problems right now to be bailing out Maleficent. You hear that screaming?" Hades pointed his finger up, but didn't pause for breath to see if Vexen would answer him, "Union protestors, gotta love 'em," he said sarcastically, "And don't get me started on the deficit, Underworld this size takes way too much management. This isn't even counting my recent, well, shall we call them diplomatic incidents with the golden child?"

"That reminds me," Vexen said as they approached the stair back to the living world, "Xehanort is offering a reward for information about Maleficent. A free ticket to dealing with Hercules."

Hades ticked a bit, "Hercules? Ooooo, yeah, I don't think even Xehanort is going to be much help in that department. I mean if I wasn't saving myself for a climactic struggle I'd have gotten involved already, you'd need the power of a god to take him down now."

Vexen raised an eyebrow, "Are you so sure Xehanort can't kill a god?"

Hades paused. Even underneath the sarcasm, Vexen could see him calculating Xehanort's power from the last time they met. He gave a slight pause, but for the mile-a-minute Hades, a slight pause was enough to show he'd been thrown off guard, "How about we do it this way then," he proposed, "Xehanort, your big buddy? Comes down and takes care of Hercules for me, and I'll be forever in his debt, first born son, unfavorable interest terms, the works. If he can't provide that, well, I'll just tell him if I hear anything."

Vexen turned to face Hades, voice sounding more like a parent trying to keep their child honest, "And if Hercules is killed by Xehanort's hand or machinations?"

Hades offered his hand for a shake, "I am at your disposal." Vexen's eyes darted from the open hand to Hades' face, the latter rolling his eyes, "Look, I'm a busy Lord of Death, I wasn't exactly planning to bat this around."

Vexen took the god's hand in good faith, "Agreed."

Almost immediately Hades snapped his fingers as a papyrus scroll appeared floating in mid-air, and he plucked it, beady eyes scrolling over the terms, then to the signatures at the bottom, "Well, you're not much of a co-signer, but it'll do." Hurriedly, Hades rolled the contract up, handing it to his minions for storage.

Vexen seemed to consider opening a portal, but remembered the incident with Cerberus. He instead turned to take the long trek back up the stairs, "We'll be in touch." Hades only watched carefully as Vexen made his way upwards. After a few minutes Vexen could hear him shouting at his subordinates and chasing them around like a bad sitcom, but he was too far to make out the words distinctly over the Underworld's howling.

As Vexen made his way past the Styx and the other barriers between the upper and underworlds, he entered the dark lower caverns under the coliseum. He only had enough of a momentary warning to turn as he was pressed against the wall by a small figure, brandishing a golden Keyblade, with a silver hilt.

"Mickey," the scientist addressed him tersely. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Alright, pal," the small king answered in kind, "I need to know exactly what Xehanort's plan is."

Number 4 chuckled, "If that's what you need, you might as well kill me now. You should know better than anyone Xehanort never tells the whole truth." Then, after thinking for a moment, "You know what; you might as well kill me anyway. It will net the same result."

Mickey pressed his blade closer to Vexen's neck, "What do you mean?"

"Only the fully realized Vessels are privy to his plan," Vexen explained. "Until then, we know about as much as you do, I'd wager."

"Well what do you know then?" Mickey asked, probably sounding far less intimidating than he hoped.

Nevertheless, the Nobody seemed forthcoming, "Only that Xehanort needs 13 Darknesses for his plan to work. Something about the Keyblade War, and restoring balance, as he puts it. But beyond that, I don't have a hypothesis. For all I do know, this is just an elaborate way to achieve his quest for immortality."

"And he only needs one Darkness," Mickey scowled, lowering his weapon.

Vexen eyed the small king for a moment, "He's down to eleven now."

Mickey looked up, "Eleven?"

"One of his Vessels betrayed him before she turned," Vexen explained, "but it's probably only a matter of time before the part of Xehanort inside her takes over, just as he is destined to take control of me."

Mickey aimed his keyblade at Vexen's chest, and apparently seeing what he meant, his expression grew sympathetic for him, "I see. So that's what it is."

Vexen tried to capitalize on this newfound sympathy, "Mickey, you don't think…that you could remove it?"

"Unlocking a Heart?" Mickey said, trying to rephrase the question, "Well, gosh, I don't really know how to go about that. If I did…I would have saved Riku, that time," he bit his lip.

Vexen nodded, fighting his disappointment, but it still leaked into his voice, "I see. Very well, then." He gritted his teeth, trying not to show weakness in front of the key-bearer, _And Mickey is a Master, supposedly. The same rank as Riku. I should have known that it was too good to be true_. Still, with this, Mickey put his weapon away. He watched the little droplets of water plop into the long, winding pools of the caves, their sound the only echo in the awkward silence.

"There is one other thing," Vexen finally added, opening up a dark portal. Mickey didn't answer, but his eyes were wide in surprise, ears perked and turned to face him totally, apparently in case he missed a word Vexen said, "Maleficent has been unaccounted for since we drove her off The World That Never Was. Xehanort thinks she might join with your people, again."

Mickey shook his head, "She isn't with us, to my knowledge."

Vexen nodded, "Mmm…well perhaps you should contemplate the possibility." He gave a nod to the short king before entering his portal, abandoning the world entirely.

* * *

><p>Only hours after Riku and Ven had abandoned Yen Sid's tower did more guests arrive, this time in the form of Maleficent, Pete, Larxene and Alice. Larxene squirmed out of Pete's arms, preferring to stand on her own, even if she could only do so teetering like a house of cards. Clutching an arm that still didn't work, she shuffled her body and looked up the length of the spire in front of her.<p>

Alice took appraisal of the tower, as well, "Oh dear, this place looks like it's seen better days."

"It's still broken from the assault we laid," Larxene said casually. "Don't get your pretty stockings in a bunch."

Alice blinked, unsure of what to do with someone so rude. Maleficent seemed to have a more diplomatic understanding of the tentative alliance, "I'm sorry, my dear," she addressed Alice, "you'll have to forgive Sora's associate. She doesn't have a Heart."

"No Heart?" Alice said, looking at Maleficent, then to Larxene, "how dreadful. I'm so sorry."

Larxene interjected, her voice short with the sympathetic princess, "Not so dreadful," her voice quieted, "Hearts are pain." The blonde Nobody limped forward, keeping her head forward to avoid eye contact with her three new allies.

Pete walked over to Maleficent and Alice, all three eyeing Larxene. Maleficent with curiosity, Alice with pity, but Pete with simple confusion, "Gee, you think she means, 'Hearts are a pain in the butt'?"

Larxene entered through the wide blast hole she herself had blown into the tower a few weeks ago. As soon as she was inside, she went to the side, laying her back against the stone wall for support, gritting her teeth. Her left arm still wouldn't move, and there was a huge "gap" of feeling in her abdomen, like she'd been shot with Novocain in the chest.

Shifting her leg, something popped in her knee, sending a burning hot wire through her entire body, causing her to swallow her pride with a whimper, eyes watering. _Damnit Sora, you aren't supposed to leave me alone. If you die so soon, I'll kill you. _ Her thoughts were back on the Wonderland fight. She had been so useless. If Pete hadn't been around to grab her and Sora had tried to protect her? They'd both be sharing a grave. Or their new journey as Xehanort's re-acquired pets. Four times she had gone up against a Xehanort incarnation, now. And three times she had been rendered completely useless. The fourth, only Sora's intervention had led him to retreat, and that might have just been because, from what the Vessels-in-waiting understood, when a body was freshly turned it took a while for Xehanort to adapt to his new body. So…she swallowed hard to accept the truth of it…Marluxia's body was fighting at half power that first fight.

Larxene skirted to the side when stones began moving around the room, forming back into place. Maleficent's magic was reconstructing the tower and placing it in a temporary shield. The witch smiled to herself. Sora really couldn't have picked a better place. Yen Sid's tower was almost like a growth of Twilight Town, a tiny realm, where space folded over and hid it in the Realms Between, an already dicey area of the universe to be traveling. With her magics protecting it, Xehanort would need his entire army just to find an entry point. Pausing, she remembered to leave an immunity for Sora to enter. Even if this alliance couldn't last, for now she needed him, and if she was lucky, he needed her.

After her impromptu landscaping was complete, Maleficent smiled at Alice, "My dear, why don't you pick out a spare room for yourself? Pete, go with her, in case she needs something?" The chubby cat saluted, and offered a large gloved hand to the Princess, who giggled and took it. Maleficent shook her head. What a strange master fate was indeed.


	20. Chapter 20 And All So End

"So…stars?" Aqua asked, following Zexion up the stairs of the Twilight Town clock tower. "I get that it's called a 'star-shard', but that seems to be a little…extreme interpreting it, isn't it?"

The cloaked man shrugged, "The entire observable universe is a manifestation of Light and Darkness. It's a story told on my world, about how the world was born. That little fragments of Light rebuilt the separated worlds, that even now they are connected."

From the rear, Ansem nodded agreement, "That sounds vaguely familiar."

"It's quite a common tale told to children in the Garden," Zexion said as he pushed open a door to a mid-level room. Many supplies to complete emergency repairs on the clock tower were here. Tarps and cloths covered them in a dusty, evening sky.

"Ah," Ansem said, following the two youths, "I am still quite hazy on my time in Radiant Garden."

Aqua looked between the two Gardeners, "So, this tale…it says that Light still connects all the worlds? Are you sure it's even true."

"I wager," Zexion said off-handedly, "it is as real as the legend of the paopu fruit."

Aqua didn't take offense, but understood the implication. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her blue wayfinder charm. She had crafted three of these, for her and her friends, the night before she took the Mark of Mastery exam. Her fingers brushed over the Mastery symbol in the middle. She had wished deeply to see her friends since that night in the Keyblade Graveyard, but the D-Link hadn't worked once since then. She had spent the next 11 years presuming she was the only one left.

Zexion led them to a ledge outside. He had a working theory, but it was still just supposition. He was never very comfortable working on guesses, no matter how educated they may have been. But his encounters with Xehanort and Riku had not gone as planned, mostly because he was alone. As Xehanort's Apprentice he had never taken a stand, and as a Nobody he had shut out all the members of the Organization from his plans. If he had taken even one into his confidence, as Marluxia had with Larxene, perhaps he would have survived the purge.

Zexion, Aqua, and Ansem all emerged on the platform right in front of the tower head. The evening sky was slowly giving way to night above them, but in the distance they could still see the red-orange sunset. Aqua turned her head up, holding her hair in place from a strong breeze so as not to obscure her vision. Above she saw the misty shade of purple, and several large stars that dotted it.

Ansem nodded, giving the view his approval, "It is quite beautiful. But what are we doing here, Zexion? I am not sure that I understand, yet."

Zexion pointed upwards with his black gloved hand, "Don't you see it? The "points of Light" that connect every world?"

Aqua's eyes widened, finally understanding, "The stars."

The cloaked man nodded, "Each star is a fragment of Light, a tie to a world. And, a tie to each other."

Aqua raised an eyebrow, looking down at Zexion, "Each other?"

"Well," he quickly corrected himself, "those of us with strong Light. Though," he eyed his old master suspiciously, "I think only you, Master Aqua, would produce a Light strong enough to be seen on other worlds."

Ansem simply smiled, hands folded behind him, "Oh he is correct about that, my dear."

Zexion looked at the dead star shard in his palm, and glanced at Aqua's pocket, "Master Aqua," he said, "may I see that wayfinder?" The Keyblade Master looked unsure, but slowly took out her lucky charm, handing it to him. Zexion bowed his head, obviously understanding the situation he was putting her in. Reverently, he placed the lucky charm on the star shard, and held it up to the twilight sky. He moved it around, like a telescope scanning the heavens.

"Ienzo, what are you doing?" Ansem asked, his attention caught that he forgot to name his old pupil as he desired.

Of course, his old pupil was so engrossed he made no effort to correct him, "Only two charms match this one. We will either join Master Riku, or locate Terra's wayfinder," he answered simply.

Aqua's blue eyes flooded with hope, "Do you think so?" she said, her eyes turning back to the sky, as if she would be able to discern which star was the correct one from her willpower alone.

"Well, logically, it should work. But as this is the first test," Zexion let his words linger.

Aqua didn't even take notice of how little faith her new companion's voice had. She was intent to watch the skies for something. She kept her gaze fixed on the border between the blackish blue of night, and the fading purple of the last rays of daylight. All along that boundary new worlds were coming into view. Aqua smiled disbelievingly at herself. They really were worlds, weren't they? Her mind was swimming with all the emotions of epiphany, as if all the possibilities of the universe had opened up when Zexion presented his simple plan. Suddenly, a dot caught her eye. The night was quickly falling over Twilight Town, and she was uncertain if the illumination from the streets below would blot out the faint glimmer she saw in the blackness of the night sky. Sure enough, as street lamps turned out, and the dimmest stars started to fade, the one that had caught her attention faded. She continued her search, but she kept feeling drawn to that spot in the night sky. Eventually her patience gave way, and she held out her open hand to Zexion, "Let me see them," she said simply, indicating the shard and charm.

Zexion looked to Aqua's face, and it was obvious to him she wasn't to be deterred. Placing the two items on top of each other in her palm, the Keyblade Master pointed them directly at the spot the felt the pull. Prophetically, a strong gust of evening wind kicked up, billowing the woman's long, baggy sleeves. She watched the blue wayfinder, silhouetted against the purple star shard, start to glow, and the shard itself started to bubble little beads of blue-white light.

Aqua allowed herself an accomplished smile, "Grab on," she told her companions, to which they obliged, each placing a hand on a shoulder of the key-bearer. The little beads of light started swimming around her, and soon enveloped all three companions, when they were consumed in a flash of light, and the energy propelled them like a shooting star at the destination.

* * *

><p>Back in a place that none of the Light-bearers ever wanted to go, a dark gateway emerged. From it emerged a still aching Larxene, and behind her, her new master. Though Sora was now sporting a small vertical scar along his neck. The key-bearer allowed himself to take in the gothic beauty of his surroundings. A black ocean, a full moon, and a beach of grey-black sand.<p>

"Where are we?" Larxene asked, sounding quite irritated. Sora had promised her a means of growing more powerful, and now to her, they seemed to be sightseeing on a nameless beach.

"The Dark Meridian," Sora answered, his voice quite patient with his needy new ally.

"Oh," Larxene said, clearly unimpressed, "I remember this place now. Xehanort used to come here to meditate. Why are we here?" she emphasized the last word like it was a chore.

Sora came to the shoreline, nodding at the ocean indicatively, "Because there lies the Realm of Darkness. And this is where you will become the new you."

Larxene looked down at her escort. She had heard those words before, "Now you're starting to sound like him."

Sora smirked, his eyes unmoving from whatever distant point he was fixated on, "Oh, I'm so much more than Xehanort ever will be. Trust me."

Larxene looked away, huffing, "Trust isn't something I'm very good with."

Sora nodded understandingly, his voice was starting to sound more like himself, even though his words seemed far too sophisticated still, "Fair enough. Do you know why Xehanort can take you over so easily?"

Larxene's sour expression didn't turn to Sora. Assuming she had no answer, he went on, "It's because you're a copy of a Nobody. Your spirit is incredibly vulnerable to outside influences. So much so, that even your appearance changes depending what's inside you."

Larxene turned to face the key-bearer, an eyebrow raised. He went on, "In fact, that's part of the reason why your friends don't look entirely like Xehanort. Because enough of them still remains to hold their shape, even if their voices and hair fade to his." Sora closed his golden eyes, inhaling deeply.

Larxene snorted at the kid's smugness, "You seem to be awfully well informed. How do you know any of that?"

Still relaxed, Sora answered in an unwavering tone, "Because I possess all of Xehanort and Ansem's research. I know all of their secrets. And while neither of them had the answer to bring about Kingdom Hearts, combined, I certainly have the keys to unlocking anything." His lips curled into a bit of a smirk at his lame pun. Darkness, research, or none, he was still Sora, after all. "It's how I rescued you from him. And I promise, Larxene, I will protect you."

Larxene turned to face the ocean, snubbing Sora's intentions off, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Sora didn't hide his smirk this time, "I think you told me that once, actually. I haven't forgotten."

Larxene tried to fight back a blush, turning away from him, "Yeah, well, that was then. We're just lucky I didn't destroy you." Sora peeked at the Nobody, recognizing her words for what they were trying to be, and silently accepted her apology.

After a bit more silence, Larxene shuffled her feet, "So, trust. Is that why you left Alice with the witch?"

"Maleficent's powerful enough to hide. We're powerful enough to fight. It makes sense to let her deal with keeping the Princesses out of Xehanort's clutches. In the meantime, we can deliver more of them to her." Sora listened to the ocean buffet the shore some more, the white-capped waves leaving a foam along the dark beach. "Besides," he added, "I'm more confident we can take the Princesses from Maleficent than Xehanort when this is all over."

Larxene turned back to him, "Why do you want them, anyway?"

Sora shrugged, though Larxene got the feeling he was hiding something from her, "Xehanort wants them, that's enough reason to grab them for me."

The Savage Nymph rolled her eyes, _Yep, just like Xehanort_. Then, as if just remembering, she wheeled on him, "Hey, you still haven't answered me why you brought me here? You promised it would be somewhere I could become stronger."

Sora chuckled, "All that Dark power and you still aren't using it? Take a feel of this place, Larxene. Don't you know what it is?"

Larxene blinked, looking around, then cast an indignant scowl at Sora, "No."

Sora nodded to the shore, "That line, right there, where the ocean meets the sand? That is where the Realms Between end, and the Realm of Darkness begins."

Larxene still didn't understand, "What, you took me out for some tourist dump?"

Sora sighed, "Larxene, the reason you're so vulnerable is because you're a copy, but also partly because you're a Nobody. But if we give you a Heart, you can emerge strong enough to resist Xehanort's influence against your will."

Larxene looked like she'd just been slapped, and her voice wasn't diplomatic with how she expressed her anger, "No way! I'm not getting my Heart back! It's bad enough having to deal with the memories, but getting emotions that way, too? It's unacceptable!"

Sora quietly tried to argue with her, "It's the best way."

"It's impossible," Larxene tried to swing her arm at Sora, but found the young key-bearer had his arm fastened around her wrist, stopping her from striking him. She glared at him, but his eyes only returned a vague sympathy. Her fingers clenched into a fist, indignant that this relative boy would feel himself in a position to pity her. After his pitiful Heart had been so easily shattered and manipulated.

"Larxene," he said softly, "don't you want to be safer? As long as you stay that way Xehanort can just plant a new seed Heart inside you at any time."

"Well, can't you just remove it?" she jerked her hand away from him, rubbing it.

"What if we're separated again?" Sora asked, "you wouldn't be able to remove it yourself." Larxene didn't answer. After a long silence, Sora walked over to the log that was on the beach, his shoes crunching the sand beneath his feet. As he sat down, he put his hands on his knees, looking over to his companion, "You know I remember this place. Xemnas once brought Roxas here. He asked me…if I remembered my true name. I remember the pride, Larxene." She only cast him a foul scowl. Sora continued, "But ultimately, it came down to destroying Xemnas. Roxas and I realized our true name. So, what about you?" he patted the "seat" next to him, "Have you remembered your true name?"

Larxene hesitantly stepped closer to Sora, but kept herself upright, even though her body felt like it was on fire, still aching from the torture at Xehanort's hands. "Of course I remember it. But I can't go back to being…that," she threw her fist, sparks flying from it in anger.

Sora looked at her bemusedly. It only caused her to get more defensive, "I'm not afraid of it, okay?! But," she averted her eyes, "Relena is a pitiful little girl. I refuse to go back to being that helpless."

Sora gave her time, making sure she had said her piece, before speaking again, "Larxene, you don't need to adopt your old name. It's not what I asked you."

Larxene looked back at him, her eyes a picture of skepticism, "Then…?" she left the thought hanging.

Sora smiled, patting the log again. The tall, blonde Nobody hesitantly sat down, but only on the edge of the log, her rear just barely giving her enough to sit without falling into the sand. She felt a cool wave of relief throughout her overtired body. Sora leaned over, resting his weight on his hand, "Before our battle with Xemnas," his voice had grown sullen, as he reflected, "Roxas reasserted his personality. We had a battle, inside our mind." He caught Larxene's gaze, and she saw deep into his amber eyes. The Nobody's cyan eyes were unsure, but she thought she could see directly into the memories, as if Sora had opened the window to his soul. "Not just because we both wanted to be on top, but because we needed the most powerful to emerge, you know?" He scooted closer to her, drawing Oblivion, "You are only subservient to your old self if you're her inferior." His eyes peeked at her, "Are you?"

Larxene thought about it for a moment, but her voice was unwavering, "No."

Sora smiled, "Besides…when I battled you in Castle Oblivion, you had a Heart. I'd say you're close to getting one again."

Larxene's hand went to her chest, as she looked down at it, unsure, "Developed my own Heart? How would you know that?"

Sora smiled, looking out over the ocean, "I didn't know what a Nobody was then. But I never suspected you didn't have a Heart. Well, unless your cruelty was a symptom. I'd assume that when Xemnas copied your data, it was just before it emerged, of course. You probably had one when you were using Namine against me."

Larxene looked over the ocean as well, "Yeah, I was just trying to get you to work for us, you know that right?"

"Of course," Sora chuckled.

"Good," Larxene quickly added.

Sora looked down at Oblivion, "You know, it doesn't have to be a big Heart…just something stable that will keep Xehanort off balance."

Larxene peered at him out of the corner of her eye, "It won't change who I am?"

"Well," Sora said, "You won't change as you are now. With a Heart, you can change, grow." He looked at her quizzically, "don't you want that?"

Larxene looked down at the sand. Her eyes counted every single grain, as she searched for what she truly desired. Eventually, she looked up, determined, "No. I wouldn't take Xehanort's Heart, and I won't accept one from you. Even if it is…mine."

Sora looked at the woman disapprovingly, "You can't escape it. You know that, don't you?"

"I know," she said quietly, biting her lip.

The pair watched the moonlight shimmer on the water for some time. Larxene never quite felt comfortable enough to continue the conversation. She scratched her still-aching arm, trying to rub some feeling into it somehow. Half of her wanted to abandon him altogether. Sora was a cocky, upstart manipulative asshole, just like Xehanort had been. To say nothing of the small grudge she still bore him for killing her at Castle Oblivion. Though she was grateful for his help, she still blamed him for not saving Marluxia in time. She clenched her fist, knowing that even if she did run away, she couldn't escape Xehanort forever. Sooner or later she would be caught again. And to say nothing of Sora and his old comrades, especially Riku, whose power she feared almost as much. Like it or not, she would have to take an active fight in Xehanort's little Keyblade War.

And like it or not, Sora was all she had right now.

Larxene rubbed her arm, though this time just to make it look like her attention was elsewhere while her eyes skirted over to Sora. He still seemed to be focused on the far off horizon. She quickly averted her eyes when he moved after what seemed like an hour, stepping forward to the ocean, and wading into the surf. As the water of the Realm of Darkness touched his skin, Oblivion began to glow in that purple-blue light. When he was about waist deep, he turned to face her, his arm outstretched, palm open, to take her hand, his amber eyes glowing against the shadow his body cast in the moonlight that came from behind him, making him look like a Heartless, "Come in."

Tentatively, Larxene stood up, stepping towards the shore. She paused at the beach, looking down as the tides washed over her heeled boots.

Sora nodded, "You'll need to take that off. The water won't have the desired effect with that on."

Larxene went wide eyed, and slightly red, looking at Sora.

Sora smirked, head listing slightly, "Oh Larxene, I haven't the time. You know what I mean, those robes will shield you from the Darkness."

Larxene took a deep breath. He was right, though the metaphysics involved eluded her. Xemnas had crafted these robes to protect the Organization from the ravaging effects of Darkness. It allowed the fragile existence of a Nobody to dabble in Dark power without fading. She had heard what ultimately happened to Namine in The Castle That Never Was, how even her light use of Dark powers caused her to fade from existence. None of the Nobodies wanted to meet her fate. Larxene stiffly undid her cloak, unzipping it down and baring herself to the night air. Her pale skin fit right in with the bleak, black and white surroundings. She stepped out of her boots, and removed her gloves, completely nude to the world as she waded in after Sora.

Sora seemed to be handling this with a level of maturity. Sure, he wasn't quite averting his eyes as the Savage Nymph undressed, but neither was he giggling like an adolescent. If anything he seemed to feel natural with the whole ordeal. He lifted Oblivion, aiming it right at the center of Larxene's chest. His voice was quite reassuring, he seemed to have a decent bedside manner, "Relax, I'm not forcing a Heart on you. But if we immerse your being in Darkness, Xehanort will at least have a more difficult time implanting his Heart inside you until you're ready for your own."

Larxene looked at her hands, making sure they weren't suddenly spotted and her arms didn't have some kind of rash, "Is that safe?" she looked to him for reassurance.

The boy nodded, "Don't worry, I'm anchoring you to your Nobody existence." He smiled, his voice taking that lower, more twisted expression when he was committing dark acts, "This will make you indistinguishable from a Heartless, but you'll still be a Nobody, and much more powerful."

Larxene lowered her hands back into the water, but kept her eyes on them to make sure they remained attached. She looked to Sora, who nodded at her, and inhaling to hold her breath, dunked herself down under the water, sitting still for a few moments as she felt the water wrap around her body, consuming her senses entirely. Several times she felt she would have lost consciousness, but the glowing tip of the Keyblade kept her focused on her surroundings somehow. After feeling she had enough, she burst her head through the water, feeling the chilly air cool against her matted hair. Though even so, somehow her two antennae managed to stick up a bit near the front before clinging to her head near the rear.

"That's good enough," Sora said, inclining his head towards the shore. Larxene slowly stepped out, and began patting her body down. In the sea she had felt weightless, and felt it was simply that buoyancy that had taken some of the ache away. But it was more than that, she found herself completely healed of her injuries. Sora followed her, Oblivion dimming as he left the water, wet from the chest down.

Larxene was flexing her hands. She felt more energetic than she could even remember. There was this feeling…of absolute elation within her. Her body felt so light! Scooping up her coat and boots, she did a few somersaults towards the log. She felt such freedom now! As she slipped her boots back on, and zipped up her coat, even within the confines of clothes she felt a rush, like the world had just turned over into a new light. Sora was standing at the beach smiling, hands on his hips. The Nobody giggled, her hand sparking with lightning energy. Doing a quick spin, she shot her arm in the sea's direction, blasting an enormous wave of power with comparatively little effort. Little shots of yellow and blue bolts danced around her body like some strange tesla coil. She looked up to the key-bearer, "What is this feeling?" she said in awe, half terrified that Sora had pulled a double cross.

"You are almost pure Darkness now," he answered, "not quite a 'Heart', but enough that you're experiencing borderline emotion."

Larxene looked at him with confusion, "Really?" her voice was shocked, barely making it out of her chest. She looked her body over again, making sure it was as she remembered it.

"Don't you remember?" the key-bearer asked curiously.

"I…I remember," she mumbled, thinking back. "I don't remember emotion feeling like...like this." Her cyan eyes bored desperately into Sora's, "Will it last?"

Sora nodded, "I've given you the foundation for a new Heart. It won't last forever, but by the time it wears off, you should have a new Heart. I hope." Sora became puzzled when she stepped forward, walking right up next to him, and put two of her fingertips to her lips, then pressed them to his forehead, leaving the key-bearer dumbfounded. As she walked away, hiding her face from him, her voice was embarrassed like a teenager, "So, um, you said this would make me stronger?"

"That's right," he smirked, watching her body charge with lightning. He drew Oblivion again, expecting her to start some sparring. "You probably can't single-handedly take down Xehanort…but you'll be able to hold your own. He won't be able to make you his crying little-" Sora leapt out of the way as Larxene shot an arc of lightning at him, blasting the crooked tree behind him into splinters.

When the Savage Nymph turned, she was smiling and chuckling in a way that let Sora know she was back to her old self. "I'm ready to find out. Don't you dare go easy on me."

* * *

><p>In a flash Aqua, Ansem, and Zexion found themselves…somewhere. They seemed to be on an island floating in mid air, with winds brushing past them. Looking around, they found themselves to be on stone. Aqua saw the square ends and ran to the edge, sighing dejectedly as she recognized exactly where she was. Ansem and Zexion walked up behind her, looking out over the wasteland below them. Strewn about were little dark specs that neither of them could make out from this distance.<p>

"Aqua," Ansem asked, trying to peer down into the lower spires, of which they appeared to be on the tallest, "do you know where we are?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

Zexion pointed to a field of the black specs, "What are those things?"

"Keyblades," came her quiet answer.

"So then," he concluded, "this is the graveyard?"

Aqua nodded in a jerky motion, "that's right."

"Your theory seems to have panned out, Zexion," Ansem said approvingly.

Zexion looked down below, spotting something. When he was sure, he spoke up, pointing it out to his companions, "We don't appear to be alone here," he said simply, indicating a small dot leaping from platform to platform. The others tried to make it out, but they were at least 500 feet in the air. The figure stopped at the base of their spire, and Zexion could have sworn he saw him look straight up at them. In a rush, it was leaping up towards them, with such a surprising speed it fascinated the three observers, until it leapt over their heads, landing behind them.

Aqua dropped to her knees in disbelief, but her elation lifted her back up on shaky knees, "Terra?!"

Ansem and Zexion both regarded the armored being before them more coolly. It was a suit of armor, a golden tan color, with two horned protrusions like bat wings sticking straight up. The visor was dark, but its movements were jerky, unrefined. When it spoke, it spoke with a dual voice, steady like a machine, overlaid on each other. Zexion recognized one voice, it sounded like Xehanort had in his apprentice days. He cast a glance at Aqua, who was so beside herself in joy that it had to be Terra. _Makes sense, Xehanort did posses Terra's body. But then, what is this thing? _The other voice however, was one he didn't recognize.

The armored being looked at them, "You. I know…you."

Aqua stepped forward, "Terra? Terra it's me, Aqua."

The armored being shook its head slowly, "Aqua? No…no, she is gone. Lost," the being reared up, raising its massive, stonework-looking keyblade, looking angry with its movements, "you cannot be her!" the screeching, metallic voice shouted.

Aqua's eyes went wide, stepping back, almost tripping on a rock. Hastily, she dug into her pocket and pulled out the blue wayfinder, "Terra! It's really me, look!" she held the lucky charm up for him to see.

It stopped, peering at the lucky charm. Slowly its keyblade lowered, clattering to the ground. Its free hand slid around, withdrawing an orange charm similar to Aqua's, "You…are Aqua," it said with definitiveness, as if it had just passed its judgment on her.

Zexion inched forward, not wanting to incur the being's wrath, "This…this must be the valuable thing Xehanort left here," he concluded.

Aqua looked up to Zexion, then back to Terra. Her eyes hurt, as she could finally see into the visor now, noticing it as nothing more than an empty shell, "He left Terra here?"

The cloaked man shook his head, "Not Terra. Not the Terra you knew, but, the part of him that lingers in this realm. This…Lingering Will."

Aqua kept her gaze upon the armor, which remained unmoving since their conversation had finished. She wasn't sure if this was better or worse than thinking Terra was forever trapped by Master Xehanort.

At that point the armor stood up, lifting its enormous keyblade again, "Xehanort…I feel Xehanort. He is coming."

Aqua stood upright, drawing Master Keeper, while Zexion pulled out his tome, and Ansem looking around anxiously. On the far side of the pillar, four dark gateways opened, four matching Xehanort's appearing. Ansem and Zexion immediately recognized the four. Lexaeus, Xigbar, and Xaldin's faces looked at them. Everyone recognized the figure in the front, with the face of Terra. They all possessed the matching dark olive skin tone, and the white as snow hair, with the orange-amber eyes. They also shared the same cruel smile at finding the four there waiting for them.

The Xigbar Vessel spoke up first, "Oh? Would you look at that? Seems that Zexion was right."

Terra's arm stretched outward, "Hello there, Ienzo. We were told that you would be joining us here. Forgive us for our poor hospitality."

The Lingering Will raised The Ends of the Earth into an attack stance, the flat, almost clay-like looking weapon raised with considerable ease for a weapon that looked like it weighed as much as Aqua.

All of the Xehanorts looked at the empty suit of armor, "So," Terra's voice spoke to it, "even after all these years, you are still here?"

The armor gave something resembling a look of rage, "I will set this right," it said in its monotone, mechanical speech. It ran right across the butte at the assembled Xehanorts. The Lexaeus Vessel pulled an enormous, broad, flat keyblade, colored black and red like the real Lexaeus' tomahawk and almost as massive. The Xigbar Vessel swung around, slamming its open palm into the chest of the Will, sending it skidding across.

"Terra!" Aqua shrieked desperately, afraid that the some forty feet of platform would be so small it would send the last remnants of her friend tumbling.

Zexion clenched his teeth, whispering to Ansem, "We need to leave. Now. Do you have any safehouses?"

Ansem's keen mind came up with a plan, "If you took the armor and fled to Castle Oblivion, could Aqua and I follow you there with the star shard?"

Zexion seemed to understand, "Brilliant plan, Master Ansem. But you two would need to stall for about a minute. Can you survive that long?"

"We will do what we must."

"Just whatever it is you're planning," Aqua said, "make sure that Terra is kept safe."

During this time the Lingering Will had stood back up, and charged right for the Xigbar clone. Aqua dashed in to back him up, casting a defensive spell around the sentient armor, using a huge blast of magic to send the Terra clone tumbling over the side. He dug his enormous blade keyblade into the side of the spire, using it to slow his fall until he got to a better spot to return to the fight. The Lexaeus Vessel delivered a shattering blow to the Will, cracking the armor right along the chest. The armor went tumbling. Zexion immediately stepped through a dark portal, carrying himself to the ground below. He watched the suit of armor fall and collapse onto the ground. Casting a dark portal to carry it away, the Will sunk into the Darkness, and Zexion followed suit to hopefully carry him where they wanted to be.

Ansem was left with what little skill in Darkness he had left to help Aqua hold the three Xehanorts at bay. Aqua was busy evading so many swings from keyblades she took on the appearance of a dancer, parrying and only occasionally making her own swings at her opponents.

One strong kick from Xigbar sent her flying back, but Ansem caught her in his arms, skidding to a stop at the edge of the platform. If things weren't bad enough, the Terra Vessel had leapt back up onto the spire. The other three copies halted their attack, waiting for their Superior to advance, his hand outstretched to the fellow Keyblade Master, "Aqua, why don't you come with me? In this, we can be one again. Don't you want that?" he smirked sadistically, watching the pain in her eyes. Glaring, she concentrated power at the tip of her blade, rays of burning hot Light blasting from the tip in all directions. The Vessels shielded themselves, the Xigbar clone preferring to duck down past the flat butte, hanging on with his keyblade as the rays shot by overhead.

As the attack faded, Ansem made his bid to buy more time, "Tell me something, Xehanort. What is so special about this place? What do you need with it?" He gently pushed his way past Aqua, nodding at her. She seemed to understand, drawing out the star shard behind his back, waiting for it to activate soon.

Xehanort seemed all too eager to answer, "Don't you know about the Keyblade War? The war of Light and Darkness that structured the very universe we live in?" He waved a hand over the swath of fallen blades below them, "these lifeless keys were once the center of a struggle to manifest the universe. Light triumphed over Darkness, and ever since has been on a crusade to eradicate it. But that is a flawed philosophy," he shook his head, Terra's long hair waving, "I can remake eternity here, when I bring the Princesses together and forge a new balance. One where Light and Dark exist in equal measure. Can't you picture it?"

Ansem nodded, "Indeed I can, my old apprentice. But…the worlds that exist? You would deny its beings the right to live?"

"Casualties," the Superior answered.

"So how about it, Aqua?" the Xigbar clone asked, now back in position behind the others, "won't you become a new Darkness in my army?"

It only took moments, but Aqua placed her hand on Ansem's shoulder, aiming the star shard at a distant point tied to her wayfinder. It began to glow, the little beads of light swarming out as the shard powered up. Terra's eyes grew wide in indignation, realizing he'd been had, and he rushed at the pair, keyblade drawn.

Ansem turned to Aqua, catching each other's eyes for a moment. Aqua saw the confidence in the wise man's eyes as his hands placed themselves on her shoulders. Aqua shook her head but once, and Ansem shoved her off the ledge. She reached a hand up to him as she fell off the spire, the purple star shard glowing brightly as it encased her as a meteor and she blasted off to follow Zexion and the Will. She only remembered Ansem's serene smile as the world around her warped into blackness, and she careened through the blackness of space to meet their compatriots.

Xehanort skidded to a stop next to Ansem, watching Aqua escape, the bright blue meteor shooting up into the sky. He glared at his old mentor, taking his Keyblade and stabbing it directly into his chest, the purple glow of the Darkness swirling in his chest. Ansem didn't even bother to fight back, sinking to his knees. He closed his orange eyes, reaching out, hoping that someone would hear his wishes, _Sora…Riku…Roxas…Namine…I hope, in my last act, I can atone for the sins I committed against you. Aqua…I wish you luck to recover your friend._ He felt his own energy wrap around him like a blanket, as the Darkness swallowed him whole.


	21. Chapter 21 The Art of Diplomacy

"Lea's been gone for far too long," Kairi quietly observed, making her way out of the café after leaving some munny for their bill. Donald's eyes grew sinister as he scooped a few munny out of the tip they left the waitress for himself. The wizard chuckled to himself, pocketing the change and proudly patting himself on the back. Goofy shook his head and left a 5 piece in its place, his lanky form following his friends with a big, dumb smile.

The three companions searched for Lea, but could find nothing. They pulled a townsperson to the side asking for Lea's description, but he shook his head saying he saw no such person. After several hours they started to feel the sleepiness of their long day getting to them.

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel," Donald proposed, "Lea might have returned there while we were looking for him."

Kairi looked around worriedly, "But with Axel around who knows what could have happened out here."

Goofy patted Kairi on the back, "Don't worry, Lea's a pretty strong fella. He'll take care of himself." Kairi seemed to take little comfort in the reassurance, but acquiesced to join them in returning to their room. As they approached their lodging, Goofy noticed something on a lamppost, calling his friends over to it.

"Hey, guys, take a look at this," he pointed with one of his long fingers. As they gathered around he read the poster aloud, "'Looking for a young girl, with a red dress. Also has silver hair, and followed by the new creatures.' Gawrsh, you don't think that's the girl from Radiant Garden, do ya?" his big eyes looked worriedly from one companion to the next.

Donald folded his arms, tapping his foot, "It does seem like a pretty big coincidence."

Kairi scanned the flyer a bit more, "The date is yesterday's. This is recent," she blinked, "suppose we'll find Riku and Ven here, too?"

"I suppose it's a possibility," Donald said, stretching his arms out in a yawn, "but we won't find out tonight, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Kairi reluctantly agreed, "Let's just get some sleep."

* * *

><p>Ven and Riku found themselves in a nightscape as well. As they took in the small room they found themselves, Ven heard the creaking and looked out the window, "Oh, hey we're on a ship!"<p>

Riku nodded, "Yeah," he seemed to be a bit anxious. He remembered the last time he was on a ship, and it wasn't too pleasant an experience.

Ven seemed to detect it himself, "Something wrong?"

Riku summoned Road to Dawn, but held a hand up to keep Ven at ease, "I just hope this isn't Hook's ship. Seems different, but I won't be satisfied until I'm sure."

"Seems kinda quiet," Ven observed. Their small room didn't have much in it. It mostly seemed to be a storeroom. The blonde key-bearer stepped over to one of the barrels and opened it up, leaning down to sniff the liquid within, and made a face, "Ew."

Riku walked over, running a finger along the surface, "Grog. This is definitely a pirate ship," he wiped his wet finger off on his pants.

"Why is it so dark?" Ven wondered, peeking out the windows.

"Not sure," Riku said, moving towards the door, "but we had better find out where we are." The pair made their way out the door, which led them to below decks. Heading up the stairs, they were both grabbed by an older gentleman, going bald, with some mighty sideburns.

"Cap'n! Looks like we got us some stowaways," he sounded quite pleased with himself, even a little mad with power.

A figure in a red bandanna spun around, spyglass in hand, with a braided beard and black tattoos around his eyes, "Mr. Gibbs if you would be so kind as to keep your mangy gob shut, this is a delicate operation."

"Aye Cap'n-…er, mhm," the man identified as Gibbs nodded, trying to stay quiet, his powerful hands still gripping the two boys by the collars.

The apparent captain of the vessel looked like he was about to turn, when he seemed to eye Riku's Keyblade. He came forward from the rails, and tapped the weapon with his boot, "Oy, where did you get that, mate?" he addressed Riku quite rudely. Then, as an aside, "And blimey why are you wearing that God-awful thing?" he pointed to Riku's blindfold, "hardly light out, unless you think it makes you look cool?"

Riku ignored the second question, lifting his blade a bit, "The Keyblade you mean?"

The captain snapped his fingers, grinning like a clown, "Keyblade! That's it mate, I've come across one of them before! But a different fellow, bit of a chipper sort. Might have even been a eunuch, you know?" he made little scissoring motions with his fingers.

Riku smiled disbelieving, "You're talking about Sora?"

"Sora! Aye, that's the one!" folding his spyglass under his arm he reached it forward to shake Riku's hand, "Captain Jack Sparrow, welcome to the Black Pearl."

Riku took it in good faith, "I'm Riku, this is Ven," he jerked his head over to his companion.

"Much obliged," Jack waved to Ven, nodding to Gibbs to release the pair. "I wish I had known the pair of you were coming. I would have avoided this nasty business across the way there."

"Oh would you now?" a strange voice said. Turning, they all saw a large gangled creature, with a lobster's claw for a hand, a large hat and a face of tentacles. He had a menacing appearance, but his stance and manner was almost charming. In tandem, a myriad of half men, half sea creatures emerged from the shadows of the Pearl. They all put their weapons to dangerous, threatening positions against various members of the crew, making sure no one tried anything funny. Riku and Ven found themselves on the business end of a spear belonging to a hammerhead shark. "You have a debt to pay," the squid-man said, "You have been captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was the agreement."

Jack held his hands up helplessly, all smiles around the demonic looking figure, "Technically I was only captain for two years, then I was viciously mutinied upon."

"Then you were a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless," came the response. Then, he started strutting about the deck, "or have you not been introducing yourself all these years as 'Captain Jack Sparrow'? Ha-ha!" the monstrosity's own crew started laughing loudly at this.

Waiting for the amusement to die down, Jack rubbed his hands together, "You've already got my payment, one soul to serve aboard your ship, he's already there!"

The other shook his head, "One soul is not equal to another." Riku eyed Jack down, _He tried to put someone else in his place?_

Jack seemed pleased with the response, "Ah, so we've established my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price," he gave a broad, toothy grin.

His adversary quipped, "Price?"

Jack slinked closer, voice quiet, "Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"

Riku pushed forward, eyes indignant, "You can't trade people like that!" before the hammerhead man grabbed him and held him back. Jack cringed visibly, wringing his hands and looking like he'd just been smacked.

The monster captain seemed to be completely oblivious to Riku's presence until now, but now that his attention was drawn, he seemed to take stock of he and his blonde companion, "You're even worse than the whelp, not even seafaring men!"

Ven tried to look tough and bluff his way out of it, "Oh yeah? Well, how would you know?"

The squid captain chuckled, pulling out a long pipe and lighting it with one of his face tentacles, "I have been Lord of the Seas for over 200 years. I know a sailor when I see one, and you two are definitely land-lubbers, ha!" He spun back on Jack, who greeted him with a polite smile, "100 souls…3 days."

Jack seemed thrilled about this, "You're a diamond, mate. Shall we seal it in blood…er, ink?"

The squid man wrapped a deformed, tentacle like hand around Jack's, wiping away a dark spot in the center of his palm, pulling the pirate captain close to his face, almost hissing with intensity, "Three days," he cryptically reminded him, before he and his crew abandoned the Pearl.

Gibbs stepped forward, "Now, how do you expect us to harvest these 100 souls, cap'n?"

Jack wiped off the gooey residue from the squid's hand on Gibb's coat, "I have no intention to harvest anything for the likes of Davy Jones," he turned to the two key-bearers, "not as long as I have you lads to help us!"

Riku gave Jack a cautious stare, "Why would we need to help you? Moreover, why would we want to?"

Jack seemed to take stock of the boys rather quick, "Because not only will you save those 100 lives, if you help us thwart Jones, but you will also be saving the life of one William Turner, press ganged into service aboard Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman."

Ven seemed to accept this explanation, but Riku was still hesitant. Mostly due to the many people he had manipulated into doing terrible things before his time as a key-bearer, "And what do you want us to do to help you?"

Jack animatedly pointed at their waists, "I just need those keys," he said, supposedly indicating where a normal scabbard would be.

Ven summoned Oathkeeper, Riku raising Road to Dawn curiously. Ven looked at Jack puzzled, "What would you need us for?"

Jack's fingers drummed together in a steeple, "There is a chest…of unknown size and quality. In that chest, beats the heart of Davy Jones. Anyone who wields the chest, wields the power to force Jones to do whatever is demanded of him, savvy?"

Riku finished his thought, "So you need us to open the chest?"

Jack snapped his fingers, "Got it in one! Yes, I wager if I had a fancy Keyblade, I could do it on my own, but as I understand, Sora mentioned there being something about being chosen."

"Keyblades do what they will," Riku shrugged, "their will is a strange thing."

Jack pulled out a small compass, eyeing it intently even as he barked orders, "Mr. Gibbs! Weigh anchor! And prepare to alter course!" As his first mate livened the crew into following the orders, Jack took Ven and Riku aside, "Now, gentlemen, do you happen to know the legend of Davy Jones?"

* * *

><p>Aqua found herself in a desolate, sandy pathway, "Ansem!" she shrieked stumbling forward, her arm flailing, but it was far too late to make a difference. She looked around, finding herself at the borders of the Realm of Darkness. A single, twisting, snake like path marked the only visible surface before her, the rest a bottomless void. Her arm was still extended, trying to grasp a friend who wasn't there, "No…" she whispered, hanging her head, her outstretched hand falling to her side in defeat. She clenched the star shard and wayfinder in her fist, "Ansem," she choked out. The pain of being separated from Ven and Terra had been almost unbearable. She wasn't entirely sure this was worse. She now had half of Terra, but the price had been her newest friend. She summoned Master Keeper, the grey blade in her hands, lifting it over her head in frustration, as if to toss it into the void. But she gritted her teeth, the moment of uncontrollable anger passed, and instead drowned her mind in sorrow. She heard a clanking behind her, footsteps, and turned to see the Lingering Will, followed by Zexion, coming behind her. Behind them rose the fortress she herself had created: Castle Oblivion.<p>

Zexion noted her odd behavior, "Master Aqua?" he looked from side to side, coming to a stop mere paces from her. His eyes said that he already knew, but a quiet, contemplative voice persisted, "Master Ansem…?" Aqua only shook her head, throwing herself against Zexion, who awkwardly tried to embrace her. Her gem blue eyes watered, though she managed not to weep. But neither did she want to leave the comfort of another human being right now. Zexion wasn't used to such a role, but he tried his best, squeezing her occasionally and patting her back.

After she felt she had regained her composure, Aqua pulled back a bit. She looked into Zexion's eyes, and understood that he was probably hurting far more than she. A twinge of guilt flooded her body. She had known Ansem for such a short time, though beyond the past two weeks since their return to the Realm of Light she couldn't say exactly how long that had been. But Zexion had known him since he was a child, as a second father even, if he had never gone as far as to admit it. Aqua suddenly felt guilty for forcing him to be the one to comfort her. It should have been the other way around. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that she didn't know what to say. Her mouth mimed words, but the only thing Zexion understood was when she started shaking her head again, at a loss. Ansem's apprentice simply nodded, understanding perfectly.

* * *

><p>Riku and Ven were looking out over the waves. Neither of them was used to sailing, and the vast, open sea reminded them both of the Destiny Islands. For Riku, the memories were nostalgic, amiable. He thought of his time as a child, of his friends, of Treah, and his parents. But Ven remembered it vaguely as the place he had spent a prisoner. Xehanort had brought him there to die the first time, but he had survived. And though he had no truly conscious memory of the Islands during his time in Sora, he ached at the years lost to his regeneration.<p>

More present were the memories as the entity called Roxas. Of those, Ven's recollection was somewhat stronger. He talked out of the corner of his mouth, "Hey Riku?"

"Yeah?"

Ven paused, not wanting to sound like an idiot, but his mind had started without him, so he followed up, "Do you think all the oceans are the same?" Riku only gave him a confused look, "I mean, all the worlds that are separate, do you think their oceans are the same? Are there pathways out here to reach other worlds? Like, a giant intersection somewhere in the sea?"

Riku chuckled, "I used to think so. But these days I'm not so sure." The Keyblade Master took a firm grip of the rigging, stretching his body against the wind and spray of the sea, "when we built the raft, it was mostly out of desperation. I doubt that little thing could have carried us all the way to a new world."

"But you did get off the islands?"

Riku winced, "I did, yeah. But I abandoned my friends when I did. That's the most important part. I couldn't just enjoy my time with my friends, like I'd always imagined."

Ven nodded, the profundity going right over his head, "I wanted to see other worlds too. But Master Eraqus was so stubborn to keep me at the Land of Departure. All I wanted was to protect my friends, to be with them. I saw so many places," he shook his head in disbelief, looking straight down into the clear waters, "and I still am. But now Master Eraqus is gone. And no matter how many worlds I travel? I guess the place I want most is…"

"Home," Riku quietly finished his thought. The two boys looked to each other, giving the other a gentle smile. "I miss mine, too."

"Yeah," Ven said, looking out to the sea again, "only my home's gone. I can never return," he said stoically.

Riku eyed the blonde key-bearer from behind his blindfold, "You know it's been a long time since someone out-angsted me," he smiled, trying to lighten Ven's mood.

Ven looked down again, "I just miss them all so much," he said, voice starting to crack a bit as he tried to excuse his behavior. Then, in a classic-Sora-180, looked to his companion smiling, "Good thing I'm making so many new ones in the meantime."

Riku looked flushed, quickly setting his eyes on the horizon, fumbling for words. Nothing was more uncomfortable than a guy-moment, "Heh…yeah, nothing ever gets you down does it, Sora?" he spilled out. Then his eyes widened as his face truly got red, and he started stammering to Ven, "Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Ven smiled and waved a hand dismissively, "It's alright. I understand. Besides," he said playfully, finger to his chin, "it kinda feels good when you think I'm your best friend." He tried to make a sneaky face at Riku, but failed to keep it straight before he burst out laughing. Riku couldn't help but join the infectious laughter.

The pair were cut off when a call came from the crow's nest from, well, Riku hadn't caught his name, but Jack referred to him as "the belligerent homunculus", "Land, ho!" The deck became full of excitement and eager activity. The island was the hiding place for the Heart of Davy Jones. Jack was apparently trying to talk his way out of a contract of some kind. Riku had his own plans. If Jones was truly master of the sea here, then he more than anyone would know if there truly were corridors to use between worlds. It would be one way to make the search for Sora easier.

But it seemed that both their plans were flights of fancy, as a massive ship just emerged from the sea, cutting off the Pearl from the mainland. The water cascaded down its planks, pieces of timber tearing from the frame. The bow was in the shape of a monster's jowls, and the sails looked tattered, and made of weeds on top of it.

"It's the Flying Dutchman!" Gibbs shouted. A full broadside from the phantom ship ripped through the decks of the Pearl. The crew ran to their battle stations, but with the Dutchman getting the drop on them, most of the sailors didn't have fanciful notions about their chances.

"Ah, Riku!" Ven pointed frantically to the bow of the Dutchman. Riku looked to see Davy Jones, his apparent first mate, and a cloaked man standing next to them with a large blue sitar.

"Organization XIII!" Riku shouted to no one in particular.

Jack overheard him, though, "What? That bloody Organization? Thought we saw the last of them with Barbossa!"

Riku didn't wait for orders, summoning his Keyblade and hopping up on the rail, vaulting over to the Dutchman. Jones watched the lad bearing the key sail over to his ship, engaging in battle with his assortment of half-human crew. The key-bearer blasted a shellfish crewman in the face with a Dark Firaga, sliding along the deck and engaging in swordfights with everyone who took a swing at him. His sudden assault seemed to spook the Organization member, who threw his hands up and dashed to the far side of the Dutchman, leaping off and landing on the water, riding it in a small wave towards the shore. Riku looked back to the Pearl, "Ven! Get to the chest with Jack!"

"You heard him, mate," Jack grabbed Ven by the shoulder, looping a rope around the far mast of the Dutchman. Attaching it to a cannon, the pair were fired into the air via the rope, Ven letting out a cry of surprise. They landed quite safely on the mizzen-mast yard, struggling for balance, but managing to keep their footing. Jones seemed to dissolve into his ship, emerging on the main mast yard, looking down on the two interlopers. Jack fired his pistol, drawing a scimitar, "Alright lad, you'll need to follow that cloaked dungbie and get the chest!" he bent over. Ven nodded, vaulting over the pirate captain while he kept Davy Jones busy.

Ven dived into the water, swimming towards the nearby beach. The Nobody was already over there, looking around anxiously for some sign post or another. Riku was busy firing dark orbs and other magic attacks around the Dutchman. Several of the phantom ship's crew had made their way to the Pearl, trying to board it in kind. Above it all were Sparrow and Jones, dueling almost perfectly, but Jack found himself being pushed back along the yard, quickly running out of space.

"Riku!" Jack called down, leaping from the yard arm and meeting Riku halfway, the key-bearer catching the captain and easing his drop, Jack rolling onto the deck as the pair fought back to back. Jones melded into the mizzen-mast, as before, and emerged from the wall of his captain's quarters, wading through his men to reach the pair of boarders. Jack turned his head towards the Pearl, "Gibbs! The dirt! Fire the dirt!"

Riku raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, but didn't exactly have the time to be questioning Jack. His confusion was settled as a jar exploded on the main mast, cascading a fine sand all around the deck of the Dutchman. Jones stopped his advance, grimacing as he looked down to the clean spot of sandy powder that covered a good swath of his deck. He scowled at Riku and Jack, circling them at the edges of the dirt barrier, eyeing them like a lion behind the bars of a cage. Whatever the magic behind that act, however, did little to ease Riku as the captain's aversion to their position didn't seem to affect his crew.

On shore, Ven pursued the lanky Organization member. He had seemed to find what he needed, and was using a column of water like a drill to bore into the heavy sand. Ven twirled Oathkeeper behind him as he came in speaking distance, "Hold it right there!"

The hooded figure jumped in surprise, looking at Ven as the twisting cone of water fell into the sand. Then, he seemed to stare at Ven for a minute, before pulling his hood back over his head, revealing a pompadour hairdo, "Roxas?" His eyes darted to the Oathkeeper, and his face lit up, "Roxas! It really is you! Oh man, am I glad to see you."

Ven raised an eyebrow, "I'm not Roxas, my name is Ventus."

The Nobody craned his neck, like he was trying to look at the boy from another angle, "You're really not a Nobody then?"

Ven shook his head, "No, I have a Heart."

The Nobody gave him a pained expression, before his body surrendered with a sigh, looking at the ground for comfort, "Too good to be true, huh? I should have figured."

Ven let down his guard a bit, "Why were you hoping to see Roxas, Demyx?" His hand came to his mouth, blinking in concern. He didn't know where the name had come from, he just knew who this person was.

"We were hoping you might have the key to escaping," Demyx answered without batting an eye. His tone had become much more serious, "there are only two of us left, Roxas. Maybe three, but," he shrugged helplessly, "no one's heard from Axel in some time."

Ven completely dropped his guard at the name, "Wait, Axel's in trouble?"

Demyx cast the boy a desperate look, "We're all in trouble, Roxas. It's just Zexion and me left. And do you know how unpleasant that guy is?"

Ven shrugged, "I dunno he always seemed nice to me. Quiet, but nice."

Demyx peered closer at Ven, "You said you weren't Roxas…"

Ven shook his head, a hand to his forehead, "I'm not! But, I kind of am I guess. I…I remember things. Feelings, like, when you said Axel. I felt a lot of anger, and at the same time, happiness."

Demyx stepped closer, dismissing his sitar and examining Ven. He may have been a goof, but he was still a member of the Organization, "You certainly seem to be Roxas. Too similar, really. It's like," he left the thought unfinished, looking to the Dutchman and the careening Dark energy around it. Snorting, Demyx shook his head, sounding amused, "it's like how Riku and Xemnas felt the same."

Ven looked up to him hopefully, "Do you know what's wrong with me? Why I feel like myself, and Roxas, and Sora at the same time?"

Demyx seemed to seriously consider it for a moment, "I can't say for certain, but I'd guess it's because Hearts leave strong imprints on those they reside in. Perhaps it works in reverse, as well." Then, a strike of enlightenment on his face, "that would explain Sora."

Ven's eyes narrowed, drawing Oathkeeper again and taking a few steps away from Demyx, "Sora? Did you take Sora?"

Demyx didn't seem worried, but a grin of sheer delight spread across his lips, "You don't know." Ven narrowed his gaze even more harshly. Demyx waved his hands, trying to diffuse his temper, "Hey, hey, hey! I'm telling you the truth when I say we didn't kidnap Sora." Ven's expression didn't change, and Demyx rubbed the back of his head wearily. His voice lost its innocent charm, "Might be more of Roxas in you than you realize," he said, summoning his sitar. A summoned circle of water encased the enemies like a cage, swirling around them like a vortex. Ven rushed the Nobody, and it was clear his combat skills were somewhat lacking. Of course, he might have been served to use a more practical weapon. But his strategy became obvious to Ven as he leapt backwards through his wet prison, several Dancer Nobodies emerging and using their unpredictable movements to keep Ven off balance. Several water bubbles shot out at Roxas, doing stinging damage across his body in addition to soaking him. Ven got more serious, taking the threat of the Nobody seriously and running loops around his water prison. Some of the Nobodies even got hit by friendly fire as he dodged the spherical projectiles perfectly. Demyx ticked, upset that he was being outsmarted in such a manner.

Changing tactics, he drew all the water from his mini arena and used it to send a wall of water at Ven. Unfortunately Demyx wasn't the perfect mage, and he lacked the power to maintain water walls at such a massive scale. The best he could do was force it straight up in a slicing motion, and using its momentum on the descent to shoot it up an increment closer, like a sprinkler with the speed of the shots. The effect was almost similar, but the slight difference was enough for his magic to handle it. But Ven saw through the technique immediately, timing a tumble to roll right over the walls between shots, and charged right at the Nobody. Demyx cursed himself, the Dancers were too far out to help him. He tried to stop his attack and draw the water in as a protective shield. Tendrils of the sea itself streamed right for him, but Ven was simply faster. He delivered three precise strikes as he dashed through Demyx, causing the latter to drop his sitar._ Damn_, he thought,_ not like this. Not again._

Demyx held a hand to his side, trying to stop the ripples of Darkness that billowed out of him, the damage almost insurmountable to his body. His opposite arm waved open a gateway behind him, looking to Ven as the blonde haired kid turned, "Well, guess I'll see you," he inhaled deeply, panting desperately, but his voice turned up, laced with genuine affection at the word, "Traitor." And he vanished into the space between worlds.

Ven ran right to the hole Demyx had been boring into the ground. He seemed to have arrived just in time, finding a chest hiding in mere inches of sand. Bailing it out, he lifted the chest, tucking it under an arm. He ran towards the sea, but was greeted with several of Jones' crewmen. Gunshots and the clattering of sabres still rang out from the ships circling each other, trying to out wrestle the opposing vessel.

Ven saw a rowboat launching from the far side of the Pearl, coming around towards the island. It was being piloted by the one Jack had called a homunculus and his friend with a wooden eye. They were rowing for all their might, and Ven danced around the phantom crew, clashing weapons with them and avoiding their swings, sometimes using the chest itself as a shield, which seemed to spook the monstrosities some. If it really did possess the Heart of their captain, Ven figured he understood why. As soon as the rowboat was in the shallows, Ven leapt into the sea, wading out and vaulting into the small craft, "Row!" he shouted, and balanced himself at the bow of the boat as the pair of pirates reversed course, sword fighting with the Dutchman's crew that pursued them through the waves.

Riku and Jack were making a steady retreat, kicking dirt towards the side of the Dutchman nearest the Pearl. Though they were outfighting the monstrosities, the fact they were all immortal phantoms was making the fighting that much harder. Grunting, Riku used his Dark aura to push several spectral pirates away, as he and Jack leapt back to the Pearl, aiding their comrades who were engaged with boarders.

As Ven climbed up to the deck of the Pearl, he held up the chest, "Jack!" and tossed it to the pirate captain. Jack nimbly caught it, holding it up and waving it for the Dutchman's crew to see.

Jones seemed furious, his lips pursing and trembling in rage as he roared, "Cease boarding!" His crew looked unsure, but they were accustomed to obeying the tyrant's orders, and eased up, standing still and moving to the edges of the Pearl's deck.

Jack looked quite pleased with himself, "Right, now! Let's parley!" he practically danced around his deck, "I propose that we end this silly contract, and you leave the Pearl be."

Jones smiled smugly, "You may have a leg to stand on, Sparrow, but ye'll not be making such harsh demands without the key to the chest."

Jack grinned at Jones, his gap toothed smile taunting the phantom, "Under normal circumstances you would be correct, but it so happens I have two keys on my person." Jones' eyes narrowed at the two cabin boys on the Pearl, both wielding weapons resembling keys. Demyx had warned him about this, and all on the simple description of the long-haired boy's weapon. If Sparrow felt himself in such a strong position to open the chest, certainly Demyx had been right about their power. Jack continued to gloat, "So, I suggest you put your rudder to us, and we'll never cross paths again." Then, as an afterthought, he pointed out emphatically, "And I would appreciate you returning my ship's soprano to me."

Jones glowered at the mortal captain, but waved his hand, summoning for Will Turner. His crew dragged the lad before him, and Jones extended his arm to the Pearl, "Mr. Turner, it seems your service is at an end."

As Will returned to the Pearl, Jack drummed his fingers along the chest, looking like a cat with a bird, "Well I think this concludes our negotiation, don't you?"

"Wait!" Ven called out, looking to Jack. The pirate captain was wide eyed, trying to mime him to shut up and not push their luck, but Ven pressed on, "Davy Jones! I want to ask you something. About your Heart."

The phantom captain tilted his head, and took a step forward. As his foot hit the deck, he simply appeared on the Pearl's deck. His expression seemed to show some distaste at Ven, but he did seem to be enjoying the courage he put on display. His head rolled with his slow, methodical speech, "Proceed."

Ven swallowed hard, trying to hold his own against the captain, "When you removed your heart…did you lose a piece of yourself? Like, did it carry the good parts away?"

Jones' expression grew visibly softer, his eyes darting towards the chest in Jack's hands. Both ships had gone silent, the only sounds were the gulls circling overhead. The tentacles along his face seemed to slacken in sorrow, the captain lost deep in thought. He looked to Ven finally, "It removed the weakness in me," he said quietly, in a completely unconvincing tone.

Jack, for the first time Riku had noted, looked guilty, looking down to the chest in his hands. But just as quickly as the mask on Davy Jones, he was back to his cocky, self-sure persona as he stepped forward, getting between Ven and Jones, "Well, gentlemen, if we're done here?"

"We're done," Jones mumbled.

As he turned to walk away, Ven stepped forward, "I hope you get it back one day!" he said, a bit hesitantly. Riku smiled, feeling immensely proud to be Ven's traveling companion.

Jones only paused, half turning, but not looking directly at Ven. It seemed like he would say something, but merely faded back to his ship, which veered away from the Pearl, heading into the open ocean and sinking beneath the waves.

"I hope you don't give him any ideas, mate," Jack said only when the Flying Dutchman was safely submerged.

"Everyone should have a Heart," Ven said confidently. "One day he'll be ready for it again."

Riku stepped forward, "I guess we should be leaving, then?"

Ven tilted his head, "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask Davy?"

Riku looked at where the Dutchman had submerged. He had wanted to, but he didn't feel right adding weight to Jones' burden, not in the light of Ventus' magnanimous wishes, "Nah, he probably doesn't know anything we don't already know."

"You know mates," Jack said, rattling the chest, "this seems to be a little big for just a Heart. What do you lads say we open it?"

Riku aimed Road to Dawn at the chest, "guess we can't leave you defenseless after we leave, huh?" A small ray of light entered the keyhole, opening it up. There were a multitude of letters, and as the crew huddled around they saw the heart of Davy Jones inside. Riku spotted something, reaching in and pulling out a letter unlike the others. He unfolded it, examining it, "Eraqus' Report 1…"

Ven snatched the letter from Riku, "Master Eraqus?" He and Riku studied the text, reading it in full.

"_Though I am the Master of my order now, I can't help but feel a pain of guilt. My oldest friend and rival, Xehanort, left the dojo to found his own order. I cannot blame our master…Xehanort has always had an unhealthy obsession with utilizing the powers of Darkness. I can't say I share his opinion that Darkness is a useful tool._

_I hope that Xehanort comes to his senses. But my responsibility here ties me to the Land of Departure. If I was but a year younger, I would have chased after him, to ensure his safety. I hope that my dear friend is not getting in over his head in the swath of worlds."_

Riku and Ven looked at each other, the latter looking slightly somber. Ven looked at the page again, his voice quiet in awe, "You think there's more of these?"

Riku shrugged, "Not sure. But we'll find them if we have to."

Ven's eyes lit up, "Oh! I forgot!" he looked to Riku sheepishly, "The Nobody, Demyx, he mentioned something about Sora."

Riku became a little more aggressive than he intended grabbing Ven's shoulder, "Sora? What did he say?"

Ven took it in stride, but fumbled to remember exactly, "Well, I'm not entirely sure. He only said…my memories of Roxas 'explained Sora', whatever that means."

Riku put a hand to his chin, thinking, "I'm not sure I like the implication of that."

"Me neither, but he seemed to wave off that they had him prisoner."

Riku snorted, "Hmph, I wouldn't trust that for a minute."

Ven furrowed his brow, "I dunno," he said hesitantly, "something tells me he was telling the truth."

"What makes you say that?"

Ven shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. I think maybe the bit of Roxas inside me, just knows that Demyx wasn't lying. Like I knew him well enough to guess."

"Sounds very voodoo," Jack said, closing the chest and stepping back, "I'll leave you mates to it, then."

Riku and Ventus bid their goodbyes to Jack, after extracting a promise to keep an eye out for Sora for them. Then, entering the Dark Corridors, they left for the next world in search of friend, and foe.

_((**Author's Note**: Transition to ACT III is wrapping up, I guess the start is the loss of Ansem and baptism of Larxene? I'll admit my pacing is rather nondescript. I also freely admit to being bad with Disney worlds. Sora's symbolic murder of Yen Sid should prove how much I like the plots on Disney worlds xD However, with POTC in KH2, the plot to Dead Man's Chest practically SCREAMS a Kingdom Hearts plot deviation (I mean, half the movie is looking for a key!), and I'd yell at myself for at least not nodding to it._

_But there's a very special world I want to announce. Tease, really. But I'll say this: I'm actually excited to write for it, and I am following the logical train as the KH games regress from animated masterpiece films, to live action in KH2, to direct-to-video in 3D...well, I'm just going to break the TV barrier. A pretty damn big hint. Things will be relatively fluffy for a few chapters, there's been so much bleakness it's almost starting to make ME feel bad xD))_


	22. Chapter 22  The Coming of Shadows

Kara was fed up with the streets of Traverse Town. She was busy depositing Unversed as per Axel's orders. But it hadn't taken long to grow weary of the dark streets. She hated the smiling faces of people. She felt contempt for their looks of fear. She loathed it when they enjoyed themselves. Every building, every home, every lamppost was a reason to hate.

Finally feeling her seeding was complete, she opened a dark gateway, entering it casually. She followed the twists and turns, but really she was firing blind. She had no idea of the space and time between worlds, she was on a blind hunt for him. The one that had brought her sister into existence. The one that her other half, her lesser half, had loved. That was an emotion she understood, but detested almost as much as smiling people.

She emerged into a new world in a dark alley. Three men simply stared at her as she emerged from the gateway. On seeing her as her true self, one of them shouted, "What are you?" as he padded a steel pipe in his palm.

"My name is Kara," she growled, very impatient for a bunch of frumpy looking men in leather.

"Well not sure what you're doing in our territory," the one with spiky hair said, "but pretty girls gotta pay the toll."

With a glare of her golden eyes, black tendrils lashed out of her body, smacking him into the wall.

"Trash her!" the two thugs with him ran straight at her wielding improvised weapons, a chain and metal pipe, respectively. Summoning her Keyblade, Kara used her Dark powers to form an energy ball at the tip of her weapon, slinging it at the thug swinging the chain, and shooting him into the wall, too. The last one grimaced and closed into attack range, getting in a solid hit to Kara's stomach with the pipe. The girl found herself winded, dropping to a knee, but her golden eyes glowed a purple-white, and she screamed in rage, her palm aiming at him and a Dark Firaga impacting his chest.

The first thug seemed to come to his senses that he was fighting something far superior than he was accustomed to, and ran off, shouting to his friends to do the same. They stumbled out of the alley and into the main street. Kara followed slowly, though pursuing them didn't seem to be a good use of her time. _If I see them again, sure, I'll kill them_, she mused to herself, satisfied she had made her point.

Coming into the light of a street lamp, she looked up and down the road. Every inch of this city seemed to be covered in tall buildings. Similar to Radiant Garden, but much, much taller. Some were so tall she could barely make out the lights signaling them in the night sky. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, smiling. This was a massive city, far larger than the pitiful Traverse Town. And so much negativity surfaced here, she was practically swimming in power. The Unversed might very well conquer this world with so much negative thought.

But first, she would have to find any sources of Darkness. Eyes still closed, she reached out with her black heart. Yes, there were indeed several powerful sources here. Certainly one of them will have seen the Dark Key Bearer.

* * *

><p>"Kairi, look out!" Goofy slid along the floor, blocking a smack from the tentacle of an enormous Unversed. Kairi let out a sigh of relief, giving Goofy a thumbs up as she went after a few more of the smaller Unversed guarding the large one, trying to keep them off Donald as he kept up his magical assault on the beast. Sora used to call these massive kinds of Heartless and Nobodies "bosses", and the flailing of this Unversed octopus arms certainly made it seem like it was trying to let you know who was in charge. Kairi paused, closing her eyes, tip of her Keyblade glowing before pointing it at some more of the smaller guards, Light orbs blasting out of it and destroying the creatures of Darkness.<p>

Kairi then turned her attention on the massive creature itself, firing more orbs at the beast that hammered it until it finally wailed, collapsing. Black flames engulfed the beast, extinguishing themselves and the Unversed.

Kairi let out a big sigh, catching her breath. Donald and Goofy came over to her, offering congratulations but she wasn't hearing any of it.

"Well now what?" Donald asked disgruntled.

Kairi shook her head, "Not sure. We're back where we started. No Lea."

"Ya think that got rid of the Unversed in Traverse Town?" Goofy asked, looking around.

There was a gentle chime in the air, and Donald seemed to be most irritated by it, "What's that?"

Kairi reached into her pouch, withdrawing the star shard. It was starting to glow, indicating they were set to leave. She looked anxiously at the other two, "We can't leave Lea behind!"

"He probably left already," Donald surmised, looking less than concerned for his bickering buddy.

Both looked to Goofy for the final vote as the shard powered up. He placed his large hand on top of Kairi's, "The King gave us a mission: Protect the Princesses, Protect Kairi. We'll go wherever you want Kairi, but we can't abandon the mission."

Kairi bit her lip, but failed to hide her complete lack of confidence in her decision making ability. She looked down, the shard was glowing bright now, and she nodded, "We have to stop Xehanort, no matter what," she said at last. Donald nodded and added his hand to pile, just as they launched into the sky.

The trio found themselves in a sandy street. Large, clay buildings rose on either side of them, with little buttresses that kept the high-rises balancing on each other.

Donald let out a small gasp, "Oh, Agrabah!"

Kairi tried to recall where that was exactly, "Jasmine's home?"

The sound of trumpets blaring and a huge commotion somewhere in the city caught all their ears. As they moved towards it, Donald pointed up, "Hey, that's where Aladdin lives," he indicated a ruined building with a purple curtain hanging over the opening. The three decided to follow the still-trashed stairs up to the top. On entering Aladdin's room, they saw he and the Genie.

"Come one, Al, you're gonna be late for your own wedding!" Genie was hustling him.

"Just a minute, Genie, there's something I need," he said nostalgically as he withdrew a dagger in an ornate scabbard.

Donald's greed got the better of him, compulsively fawning for the gold emblazoned blade, "Ooooh."

This caused Genie and Aladdin to spin around, both with huge smiles on their faces, "Donald! Goofy!" Aladdin picked the two up in a big bear hug. He seemed to be aware of the missing presence, "Where's Sora?"

The King's attendants looked somberly at each other, but Kairi stepped forward hastily, "He couldn't be here, though he would want to be. Are you getting married today?"

"Yeah," Aladdin beamed with pride, "to Jasmine."

"How romantic," Kairi smiled.

Donald extended a hand, "Aladdin, this Kairi, one of the Princesses of Heart," his eyes grew sly as he elbowed Aladdin in the side, "and Sora's sweetheart."

"Oh, so he found you?" Aladdin said. Donald and Goofy seemed surprised by his perfect recollection.

"That's right," Kairi smiled.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Genie said above them, but Al's gotta take his vows like yesterday!"

"Right," Aladdin shook his head, whistling for Carpet, "Why don't you guys hop on?"

"We can go?" Kairi asked excitedly.

"Of course, you're friends of the groom's family," Aladdin smiled, offering a hand to help Kairi on. Donald and Goofy both hopped on the elaborate purple flying carpet, and they shot off across the skies of Agrabah to the palace.

* * *

><p>In The Castle That Never Was, a dimly lit room with a traditional shrine inside stood idle. The door creaked open, letting in rays of the brightly lit interior of the castle as a figure stepped in. The quiet, sullen steps sounded claustrophobic in the old, barely used room. This room had been added by Xemnas in the old days. Like the card games, or musical instruments, or puzzles, this was one of the many diversions the Nobodies were to fill their time. But, even in the most desperate of times, Nobodies found little use for religious places. The air was stale, so much so that the skin on your body felt like a fair target to start cracking in the low light.<p>

Zexion stood before the altar, looking at the many icons dotting the surface. Statues and idols, pictures, script from the great minds, all tools to help focus the mind in its search for higher truth. The Nobody lit the incense in the burner hanging overhead, sitting down and closing his eyes, thoughts to himself.

He didn't budge, but the swirling sounds of a Dark Portal opening were unmistakable. Zexion's voice sounded tired, "Normal people use doors."

The voice of Xehanort seemed amused, "Zexion? What are you doing in this place?"

Zexion glared, but his eyes did not open, nor did his head move from the bowed position before the shrine, "Our master just died, Xehanort. You of all people should understand that even in death, your master is a close friend."

Xehanort snorted. Though the difference was still very slight, Zexion could tell just from his scent and the subtle voice difference the Xigbar Vessel was behind him, "My master was a useless fool."

Zexion tilted his head, "Don't you have children to steal candy from, somewhere?"

Xehanort didn't seem quite so displeased with the casual insult as he seemed curious, "Don't you want to know why I'm here?"

"No."

"Oh come, Zexion," he smiled, "we used to be such good friends."

"I thought you'd be more concerned with Demyx's condition. If you aren't careful you'll lose another Vessel. That's three you'll have to replace if he goes." Xehanort's rage started to filter into the air itself, becoming palpable in the dusty air, "I suppose we're lucky that Sora wasn't responsible this time, hm?"

The crack of Xehanort's fist against the wall didn't hide his displeasure, "Watch it, boy. You're fortunate I need you for this plan to transpire." Zexion allowed himself a satisfied smirk, but kept quiet, satisfied his point was made. After a few seconds Xehanort's mask came down again, "Ienzo's location remains unknown. Where do you think he's gone?"

The purple-grey haired Nobody pondered a moment. Xehanort wasn't sure if he was contemplating the question, or whether or not to help Xehanort, "He took Terra's remnants correct?"

"Yes," the Xigbar Vessel admitted unpleasantly.

"He'll try to speak with them, then," Zexion concluded.

"Impossible," the Xehanort clone sneered, deeming it a waste of time.

"I do know of one place where all one needs is memories to speak with someone," Zexion offered socratically.

Xehanort seemed to understand, "Why of course. Excellent. Zexion, you will go, and reel in your Somebody. See if Aqua can't be made to turn to Darkness."

Zexion raised an eyebrow, but kept his solemn position, "Aren't we grasping at straws? Aqua is a Master, chosen by your counterpart as I recall. Didn't Terra fail his Mark for even possessing Darkness? How did she pass and he fail?" He waited for a retort, but Xehanort didn't provide one, "Very well, I'll see what potential she has. "

"One more thing," Xehanort added, though the smugness in his voice sounded far too much like Xigbar, "I know that Vexen was working on another replica. I want to know where he kept it."

Zexion twitched, but tried to remain as calm and retain as much plausible deniability as possible, "I don't know. Did you check his lab?"

The dark Keyblade Master didn't seem to appreciate the sarcasm, "That clone will be very useful, Zexion. Tell me where he left it."

"You're slipping Xehanort," Zexion responded flatly, "your retrieval of memories isn't anything near perfect." After a pause, where he was sure that Xehanort was getting ready to discipline him, he added, "What do you need it for?"

"It will be the key to my thirteenth vessel. If I can salvage whatever he made of it, of course," Xehanort stated with that annoying touch of inevitability he got in his voice whenever he spoke of his grand design.

Zexion sighed deeply, "I would check Twilight Town. Ansem took several pods from Castle Oblivion there as I understand to suspend Sora. Now are you going to join me in meditation?"

"Meditation is for undisciplined minds and weak spirits," Xehanort said definitively. "Are you either?"

After a slight pause, "Leave me to my weak spirit," Zexion tried his best to hide the snicker, "I'll leave you to your brilliant plans." Xehanort said nothing, vanishing into Darkness.

* * *

><p>Aladdin's wedding was so far going as planned. He was nervously anticipating the entire ceremony. How often did a street kid marry a princess? In Agrabah he might have been the first, and felt the pressure of the entire sultanate on him.<p>

And as Genie went in with the music, Jasmine entered the wedding ceremony. It was hard to call this a temple, or even a mosque anymore. The sheer size of the specially designed wedding room was beyond comprehension. Every one of the Sultan's subjects, the foreign dignitaries, even the travelers who happened to be in Agrabah at the time, could probably fit rather comfortably under the roof. Aladdin fawned over his beautiful bride. Kairi exchanged a small wave with Jasmine when she passed by, the fellow Princess nodding politely. Goofy was already teary-eyed, and Donald was just happy for his friend.

The Sultan, officiating the ceremony, looked to be the picture of pride in his special gold colored outfit. He just about felt six feet tall today. He tried to hide his delight, making him feel so light he'd just about click his heels together, "Subjects, friends, and guests," he began as Jasmine reached the altar, "I have worried and struggled with the idea that my daughter would never marry, and even if she did, that it would be to her unending unhappiness." The Sultan took the hands of Aladdin and Jasmine in his own, one in each hand, slowly bringing them together as he spoke, "But when Aladdin arrived, I knew my years of worry were at an end. A smart, headstrong, brave young man who has saved Agrabah time and again. And, most importantly," the Sultan looked like he would cry with joy as he brought their hands together, his voice very quiet and honest, "he loved my daughter, and she him." There was a slight pause in the entire chamber, even Iago smothering the wedding gifts in the side chamber had taken a quiet moment, though his wings still embraced a chest full of gold. Kairi was squeezing her hands together in delight. "And, with great pleasure, I am happy to…oh dear," the Sultan said as there came a rumbling of the floor. Up the stairs came the trumpeting of elephants, an entire chorus of them charging at the temple.

Genie suddenly sported a cowboy hat and leather get up, "Stampede!" he shouted, as wedding guests started scattering with the elephants breaking columns and crashing right into the middle of the ceremony.

"Genie, get everyone out of here!" Aladdin called. His large blue friend nodded, snapping his fingers and whisking wedding guests out of harm's way. The palace guard tried to help calm the beasts, but none were trained animal handlers so their efforts were mostly fruitless.

The same time, a loud rabble approached the chaotic theater. An assortment of foul looking types, real scum of the Earth kinds. They were headed by an inordinately tall, pale man, bald with a snide mustache, and wearing a great golden claw on his hand like brass knuckles. The palace guards ran straight at the party crashers, but were caught off guard by the skill they had with their blades. Genie had taken to trying to keep the roof supported as the support structures were torn down by the stampeding elephants, leaving Kairi, Donald, and Goofy as the only remaining people with weapons. Two guards ran right at the apparent ringleader, but several fast slashes of his knuckle weapon left their swords cut to ribbons along with their clothes, merely as a demonstration of how far over their head they truly were.

"They fight like demons!" a chubby guard noted.

"Worse than demons," his companion corrected, "these are the Forty Thieves!"

Genie's eyes cast about the chaos below, "Really? I only count 39."

Aladdin noticed a man in a dark blue cloak rummaging through the wedding gifts, "Forty," he scowled, removing the ornate dressings on his dress clothes to be more nimble.

"Oh there's forty!" the Genie said reassuringly. Only his gaze wasn't directed to the gift chamber like Aladdin's. His was focused on the tall cloaked figure arriving with its arms folded behind its back. Raising its arm, a multitude of Heartless emerged.

Kairi ran straight at the cloaked Organization member, twirling Destiny's Embrace and throwing it straight up in the air as she ran, a tether of Light energy attached to the keychain. The blade hopped and danced around the area, slashing through Heartless and disabling many of them. It even managed to get a few solid hits on the Forty Thieves. Kairi retracted the blade like a yo-yo as she reached the cloaked figure and leapt at him, taking a swing at his form. She found her Keyblade caught in the grip of another, one as ornate and flowery as her own.

Genie looked at the ceiling, and determined quickly the fact that the only portion of it still standing was the part he himself had kept up to be a failed exercise, and opted to engage in the fight himself. Increasing his size he lifted one of the raging elephants. Cocking its trunk like a gun, he pointed it at some of the Thieves, "Freeze, dirtbags!" he blasted them with a gust of air out the elephant's trunk, "don't make me use the other end!" he sarcastically chuckled as the mortals went flying through his gust of wind. Whatever magic he had been using seemed to tire the elephant, as well, and with a sheepish look he placed the beast back down on the ground, where it collapsed into slumber.

Aladdin was having his own problems with the man in the blue cloak. Heartless had emerged and were siding with the thief. Taking out his father's dagger, Aladdin slashed at the creatures as best he could, but the cloaked man was every bit his equal in skill. The small diversions were proving enough to give him the edge. "Come on boy," the cloaked man said, "you're no match for the King of Thieves."

The bald man grabbed a rather chubby looking thief and pulled him aside, "Cassim said the outsider would handle the djinni, but he's stuck with the little girl. Get the others out of here."

The rotund thief scratched his head, "Gee, Saluk, are you sure?"

"We aren't prepared to face the powers of a djinni! We'll leave the 'king' and his new friend to their plan," he said venomously.

Kairi took a strike at the Xehnaort, missing him but catching his hood. It pulled back to expose the notably beautiful face and layered hair that went to his shoulders. Kairi wasn't even sure it hadn't been a woman before Xehanort had possessed this particular vessel. Xehanort struck Kairi in the abdomen, sending her against the rubble of a stone pillar. He seemed ready to deliver another hard strike but a ray of pink energy struck him in the side, sending him sprawling. Genie had taken to targeting the thieves who weren't abandoning the raid. That was currently only Xehanort himself. Donald and Goofy came up seeing fewer threats, buffeting Xehanort with their own magic.

Getting closer, Goofy narrowed his eyes, "Wait a minute…isn't that the fella, Donald, who was with, um, the girl…"

Donald raised an eyebrow but then seemed to understand, "Oh, Namine! You know he does look like him."

Xehanort clenched a fist, charging with a high concentration of Dark energy, glowing purple-blue in his palm, his voice was overlaid, as Riku's had been with Ansem those years ago in Hollow Bastion, "I believe the name you're searching for, is Marluxia. He is a part of me, now," the vessel slammed his fist into the ground, streaks of Dark energy blasting out of the ground, radiating from beneath the floor.

Kairi leapt in front of her friends, "Donald! Goofy!" she cast a powerful spell, like a Reflect but made of her pure Light energy. The bubble like casing provided them protection, almost appearing as if it would crack several times, but each time managing to hang on somehow.

Xehanort cast a dark gateway, stepping through to come into the gift's room where Aladdin still battled the cloaked man. "It's time to go," he said simply.

"But we're so close," the masked man protested. Aladdin was holding some sort of scepter that the thief seemed to desire very badly.

"We've run out of the element of surprise," the dual-voiced Xehanort said coldly, "and there are more of them than we anticipated." Pulling forth a small pink vial, the masked man threw it to the ground, causing Aladdin to cough at the smokescreen, the two intruders vanished from the gift room when he finally could open his eyes again.

Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Genie arrived in the room looking for the intruders, "Xehanort?" Kairi asked, Keyblade darting side to side with her vision, looking for her enemy.

"They're gone," Aladdin managed to cough out.

Jasmine and the Sultan entered the room, the former rushing to her fiancé, "Oh Aladdin! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks to these three," he smiled to the trio of off-worlders.

"What were they after? The gifts?" Jasmine asked, looking about the carnage of shattered vases and spilled baskets of jewelry.

"No," Aladdin said, holding the scepter in his hand, its green emerald shimmering, "this was what the King of Thieves wanted."

Iago flew over, landing on the scepter, "Out of all the other stuff here why chase this thing?"

The scepter, on cue, began to glow. An ethereal, echoing voice proclaiming its presence to the room, "Your question is mine to answer!" The scepter lifted from Aladdin's hands, floating to the middle of the room and hovering vertically, the emerald set in the display acting like some sort of projector as an ethereal spirit emerged. In the guise of a beautiful woman with a veil, purely faded white like a ghost. If she were a ghost, then in life she would have certainly been a powerful, wealthy priestess by her trappings. Her eyes were a solid white, haunting in the way they bore into the mortals before her. "The King of Thieves sought my sight to pursue the Ultimate Treasure."

Aladdin leaned over, but didn't take his eyes off the spirit, "Genie?"

The blue mystical creature himself looked at the radiant spirit from behind a pair of sunglasses, "Oh, it looks like an Oracle," his usually sarcastic and jovial voice was filled with true humility, impressing upon Aladdin the seriousness of this discovery.

The Oracle brought her hands to her forehead, "I see all that has been, and all that will be."

Genie took on one of his many cartoonish personalities, "Oh, definitely an oracle, tells the future."

Iago got straight to his business, "Where do we find this treasure?"

The Oracle shook her head, "I cannot break my power's vow: one question; one answer."

Iago looked irritated, "I only need one answer! Where is the Ultimate Treasure?!"

"You have already asked your one question," the Oracle decreed more like an impatient mother than an eternal fount of wisdom.

Kairi looked down, "Any question," she whispered.

"Aladdin," Jasmine said, placing her hand on his chest, "we could find out anything! About our lives, or our futures."

Aladdin smiled, "I have my future. My future is you. But my past," he averted his eyes, "it's a blank. My mother died when I was a kid, and I never knew my father," he withdrew the small dagger, the only memento his mother could give him, "but my past isn't one question, it's a thousand and one questions."

"Ah," said the Oracle, "but simple questions about your past can be answered by your father."

"My father?" Aladdin asked skeptically. The Oracle spread her arms, a shimmering image like a crystal ball appearing before her of an older man, a graying beard and striking, sharp features. Aladdin peered closer, "My father is alive?"

Iago seemed upset, "Oh sure, let him slip a question and don't go after it," he waved a wing towards the Sultan-to-be sardonically, only to be bopped on the head by Abu.

Jasmine placed a hand on his shoulder, "Aladdin, I love you more than anything, and if you feel you need to do this, I'll wait as long as it takes."

"We'll go with ya, too," Goofy interjected, nodding at the couple, "Gawrsh, no one should go alone on a journey like that."

Aladdin smiled, "Thanks, you guys."

The Oracle peered down at him, "Have you selected your question?"

Aladdin nodded, "How do I find my father?"

The Oracle nodded, extending her arm and pointing towards the city limits, "Follow the trail of the Forty Thieves. Your father lies trapped within their world."

Aladdin's face grew concerned, "The Forty Thieves? Trapped? Is he hurt? How long has he been their prisoner?"

"I am sorry," the Oracle answered, shimmering as she folded into a beam of light, appearing to merge back into the scepter with a flash of light, "I can only answer one question."

Genie looked down at him, "What do you want to do, Al?"

The young man seemed determined, "We're going after them! Everyone get ready to go!"

* * *

><p>Kara was having a less than pleasant evening. She had encountered one of the fainter sources of Darkness, but he had been nothing more than an old man. No matter. This world still had several powerful sources of Darkness that might point her in the right direction.<p>

Just then a Dark Gateway opened, and from it emerging a figure in black. Kara narrowed her golden eyes, untrusting that this encounter with Xehanort's subordinates would any more fruitful than the others.

The figure removed its hood to reveal none other than Xehanort. Or, she thought it was Xehanort. He had the same skin, hair, and eyes, but he looked completely different than the Xehanort that she had known as her caretaker on Radiant Garden the past eleven years or so. Though that one had begun calling himself "Xemnas". She recognized this one though. But the last time she had encountered this assistant, he had gone by the name of "Vexen". But something about the way he carried himself reminded her of Xehanort, "Kara," he said warmly, "I am glad I found you here."

Kara's amber eyes glared at him, "Who do you think you are?"

He smiled, full of charm and whimsy, even, "Kara? I'm hurt that you don't remember me. I am Xehanort."

"I mean who do you think you are showing up here?" she spat, "first sending that Axel after me, abandoning me for this entire year? What makes you think I want to see you?"

"Perhaps I can help," Xehanort offered, still trying to remain diplomatic, "why don't you tell me why you left the Radiant Garden?"

"I need to find the Dark Key-bearer."

He didn't seem to approve of this answer, "Sora."

"Is that his name?" she asked.

"Why do you need to find Sora?" he ignored her question.

"He created my sister," came the simple answer.

Xehanort pondered this for a moment, "Sora may have given birth to Namine, but he did it accidentally. He can't help you."

"No," she said emphatically, "he did. I felt her. At the Garden."

Xehanort's eyes narrowed, "Impossible," he whispered.

"I felt her," she declared again. This was clearly not news Xehanort wanted to hear. He didn't answer Kara for some time, almost oblivious to her presence as he pondered this new information. Kara herself was a little curious, _Axel didn't tell him? I wonder what's going on._

Xehanort eventually composed his thoughts, "Well, I doubt that he will talk to you willingly."

"You seem so sure," she sneered.

"Kara, you'd best be careful," Xehanort warned, "Sora has taken Larxene as a servant. From what I have seen he is as dangerous as she, and he's freed her from my control."

Kara didn't say anything, but was riveted to the conversation, _Xehanort's afraid. I've never seen that._

He continued, "You should consider him a threat until you've dealt with him."

"I'll deal with him," she said with a bit of venom in her voice.

"I'm glad I managed to find you," Xehanort went on, "it's even more imperative I got here. I had no idea you were pursuing him. You must be cautious, Kara, you are a precious resource."

"Because of my purpose?" the skeptic asked.

"Yes," Xehanort said with profundity, "you have a great destiny. One where all the pain you feel will leave you." He looked for her reaction, and satisfied, continued, "you just have to trust me."

"I don't," she answered flatly.

Xehanort considered her for a moment. He turned to look at the city-scape. They were in a suburb of the enormous metropolis that seemed to be the center of this world. "What are you hoping to accomplish by remaining here?"

"What do you care?" she snapped at him, losing patience with his evasiveness.

"I simply want you to exercise," Xehanort quietly mused. "I need you at full strength when I begin the Keyblade War." Kara scowled at him as he vanished into a dark corridor.

* * *

><p>Carpet skidded to a stop, as Aladdin, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Abu and Iago almost ran headlong into a horse's rear end. They silently backed up, hiding behind a rock. The Forty Thieves were gathered at the shore.<p>

"What are they doing?" Kairi whispered.

Aladdin shook his head, "I'm not sure."

The King of Thieves extended his arm from the front of the pack towards the sea, "Open sesame," his deep voice bellowed. The ground began to shake, startling the thieves' horses some, but otherwise they seemed rather trained in this, as the water between a huge rock in the sea and the land parted, revealing a passageway into an underground cavern.

As the thieves rushed to cross the path before it closed, Aladdin grabbed Carpet's tassels, "Carpet, let's go!" he guided the flying carpet into the entryway as the stone began sliding closed, hiding in the veritable rafters of the caves.

The heroes bided their time, landing in a dark corner of the cave and moving from stone to stone, advancing and making sure they weren't spotted. As they reached a large antechamber, probably the center of the complex, they could hear an angry voice shouting, "We could have had all the loot at the wedding! But instead, we followed the 'King's' plan," the loud voice sneered at the title, clearly having no respect for it, "this is what we have for our trouble in Agrabah." He smashed a table emphatically to the disgruntled agreement of the other thieves, "Nothing!" He stepped forward menacingly, "Your time is drawing to a close, Cassim."

"My father?" Aladdin whispered to no one in particular.

They couldn't clearly see him, but a figure put his hands on his hips, "I know you're upset Saluk, but if you're talking about spilling my blood, well…I just don't see it happening."

The much larger figure, the bald man from before with the golden claw, stomped forward a few paces, sneering and brandishing his unique weapon, "Then let me open your eyes!" Before Kairi or the others could stop him, Aladdin had rushed through the circle of thieves and tackled the giant.

"Run!" the street urchin shouted, "I've got him." As the large man started to overcome the suddenness of his ambush, Aladdin tried one more plea, "I'm Aladdin, you're my father!"

The circle of thieves gasped in amazement as Saluk, unimpressed, pinned Aladdin underneath him, the latter dropping his dagger in the dirt for Cassim to pick up, "I'm not sure about your 'father' boy, but I can send you to meet your other ancestors!"

As he swung his mighty hand down, Cassim grabbed it, "Let him go! The boy…is my son," he said, looking at the dagger in his hand. "I gave this dagger to my wife years ago. It was to be given to our newborn son, Aladdin."

"So then it's true," a sly voice said from the crowd, "the boy is the son of the King of Thieves."

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had managed to walk up right into the mess of bandits. All of their attention was on the father and son duo in the middle. "You're the King of Thieves?" Aladdin asked astonished, sure he had misheard.

Cassim simply smiled, tossing the knife back to the boy, "Like it or not, boy, we're blood." He raised an eyebrow to the others, "And you've brought guests? How festive of you."

Suddenly the other thieves seemed to notice the trio. Saluk stepped forward, eyeing his claws, "Blood or mud, they're intruders. And we have rules about intruders."

The rabble of criminals chuckled to each other as they encircled the four friends, several swinging to the rear and incapacitating Carpet, Abu, and Iago.

"Heheh, Saluk is right."

"They know our secret!"

"I hate intruders."

Saluk looked back to Cassim, "Unless his majesty is going soft in his old age?"

Cassim's eyes skirted the room. It was clear his authority as "King of Thieves" was not quite so absolute. Donald recognized the same split-moment analytical skills that King Mickey used whenever approached with a difficult, unpopular decision. He acquired a sly smile, shrugging, "Kill them."

"No," a hand reached out. Kairi scowled at the sound of Xehanort's voice, "the girl is to be spared. I require her."

Saluk glared at him, "Easy outsider. I'm sure we could all require her," he snickered, joined by his 38 cohorts.

However, he kept his attention focused on Aladdin, raising his arm to claim the one victory he had had in years over the wily King, when Cassim's intrigued voice came from behind him, "Or…the boy could…" he said with increasing enthusiasm, "yes! The boy could...Nah," he waved his hands dismissively. This caused quite a ruckus in the crowd, many of the thieves asking him to share his thoughts. Cassim smiled a bit, acting quite casual, "Well it seems to me that," he looked around, suddenly looking quite unsure of himself, "Oh, nevermind."

Now even Saluk was curious, the anger in his voice sounding exacerbated by the impatience, "What?"

Cassim got a sly smile. Aladdin recognized it, it was his smile whenever he had just conned someone big time. Cassim put his arms around two of the thieves energetically, "The boy could face The Challenge." This got a loud murmur of support from the thieves present. Cassim nodded and stepped forward, "Then that's that. My son will face The Challenge."

Saluk stepped forward, all smiles, "And I will the one to test him." He then turned an eye to the other three, "And what of his friends? Cassim, I can see that your boy is just as tricky a fox as you. I can tolerate his presence. But they don't look like thief material."

"They belong to me," the cloaked Xehanort said.

Saluk had enough. He stomped over to the cloaked man, "Enough! I've had it up to here with you, face changer. You're only here because Cassim is allowing us to let you live. And on the promise that you will not be having any share of the profits of our little missions together."

"What missions?" Kairi asked, stepping forward.

Saluk looked back to her. For a moment, she had an understanding with the brutish thief. There was a clarity between the two, that they shared the common enemy, but it was broken with Cassim's diplomatic approach, "Now, now, let's all keep our minds on the prize. We have a ceremony to get to!"

The thieves led the group up a winding stair, coming to a cliff face about halfway up the island mountain. Cassim patted his son on the back, "The Challenge is simple enough. Only one man survives." He slipped him his old dagger, "You're my son. You'll be that man."

A thief crashed a mallet against an enormous gong, signaling the start of the match. Saluk bore down on Aladdin, using his immense size against the nimble street rat. But Kairi detected something else, whenever Saluk swung his fist at Aladdin, crackles of Darkness radiated from the punch. She looked to the still hooded Xehanort, who only watched silently with his arms folded across his chest. Kairi became suspicious, _Is Xehanort teaching them how to use Darkness? Why is he so intent on opposing his involvement then? His alliance with the Forty Thieves seems even more tenuous than Cassim's control._ A loud cheer from the spectator thieves brought her attention back to the fight. Aladdin was skidding down the cliff face, digging his dagger into the side of the mountain to slow his fall, cutting into the weak stone. Saluk crouched down, and using his claws for similar drag, dropped down onto the narrow ledge Aladdin found himself on. As he hit his feet, Aladdin leapt up to his dagger, still embedded in the wall, and swung his body into a mighty kick that sent the bald giant stumbling backwards, falling off the cliff into the sea below.

A death chill came over the thieves as Aladdin climbed back up. He found himself greeted with the icy stare of curious spectators, many not seeing who had fallen and who had survived until the boy stuck his head up onto the main ledge. Cassim stood at the front, "You've killed Saluk. The Code of the Forty Thieves is very clear on this point; you're in," he smiled, opening his arms wide as cheers resounded. Apparently this was a cause for some celebration. Kairi became aware of the eyes on her, seeing the hooded Xehanort looking directly at her. While the Forty Thieves carried their newest member down to the main chamber within the mountain again, Cassim pulled Xehanort aside, "Does that satisfy you?" he whispered.

"All I need is Jasmine," he answered quietly.

"And we can ransom her for the Oracle?"

Kairi tried to lean closer, trying to catch their whispers but the din of the welcoming party was deafening. She noticed the two exchange several words, until Xehanort opened a Dark Gateway and left. She ran up to Cassim, Donald and Goofy in tow, "Where did he go?"

"Who knows," Cassim said with the absolute sincerity of a practiced liar. "I can't fathom why he does what he does."

Cassim escorted the trio back down to the cavern, when Kairi stumbled, leaning on the wall for support. She could feel a Light fading, the same feeling she had felt…felt where? It was so new, yet close to her memory. Her eyes widened as she recognized the feeling from when Belle had been taken.

Her friends had noticed, and Donald tried to kelp her stay on her feet, "Kairi? Is everything alright."

"Jasmine," she whispered, her voice all but panicked, "we lost Jasmine."

Goofy got a determined look, wading into the crowd of thieves to find Aladdin, while Donald tried to help the struggling Kairi, still clutching her chest as if a part of herself had been spirited away.

* * *

><p>All of the Agrabah denizens, the three travelers, and Cassim rode Carpet back to the palace as fast as possible. Cassim seemed less than concerned, but Aladdin and Kairi were both entirely aware of the danger. Aladdin knew a boy wielding Darkness had kidnapped Jasmine last time right from under Jafar. This would be no different if what Kairi said about him was true.<p>

Storming into the palace, the group found the Sultan, Genie, and the palace guard in hushed tones. Genie noticed his best friend and floated over, "Al…Al I'm so sorry."

"Genie?" Aladdin asked, hoping that he'd get a different answer than he was expecting.

"I tried, Al," Genie hung his head, "But they took her. Four men in black robes, a really creepy cult of bad guys.

"Where's the Oracle?" Kairi asked, much more aggressive than she meant to be in this delicate time.

"In the vault still, but-"

"Take us there," she ordered, her two companions looking at her unsurely. The Sultan accquiessed, primarily because Aladdin was the one who made the proposal, and brought them all down to the treasure room. The Oracle scepter lay in a stand now, upright like a trophy. An emboldened Kairi clenched her fist and walked straight up to it, her expression very hard._ I'm tired of being helpless. I'm going to fix this._ She pulled the Oracle from its stand, holding it in both hands. Her voice was crystal clear, almost angry, if Kairi could express such an emotion. But it was mostly inward anger, she knew, looking for a place to direct it, "Where can we find the Princesses of Heart?"

The Oracle scepter floated on its own accord, the ghostly image of the spirit emerging, "You ask a difficult question child. There are many Princesses, in many places."

Kairi bit her lip. Now that she had a few seconds to think and the adrenaline rush was fading fast now that she had laid the first brick in her short plan, she was hesitating exactly how to ask.

Fortunately Donald had the sense to step forward, "Has Xehanort captured all of them yet?"

The Oracle waved her hands, folding them into her chest, a gesture that the group had come to understand being her signal for no, "The one called Xehanort possesses five of the purest Hearts. The others are free, and held by the Keyblade's Chosen One."

"Sora," Kairi hung her head low, "Sora's capturing Princesses, too?" The Oracle was silent, understanding her question to be rhetorical, or perhaps knowing what her true question would already be. Kairi looked back to the ethereal soothsayer, "Where can we rescue them?"

The Oracle gestured, "The Princesses will come together in the Keyblade Graveyard. All seven will be gathered. They will be imprisoned in their freedom there. The Seven will also be there."

Kairi tilted her head, "You said 'The Seven'? Also? You mean seven others who aren't Princesses?"

"I'm sorry," the Oracle's voice sounded regretful, "I can only answer one question."

All looked to Goofy now. He was the only one with a question left. Donald elbowed him to get his attention, inclining his head to the ghostly priestess. He stepped forward, scratching his head, "Gawrsh, how do I know what to ask," he tapped his foot, thinking. He hit his fist into his palm, having his own eureka moment, "The only thing I need to know," he said triumphantly, "is how the Keyblade War ends."

The Oracle seemed to be unsure, waiting for a time. Closing her eyes, as if summoning her visions, she could only offer two unsettling words.

"In fire."

_((**Author's Note:** Props if you spot the TV reference this chapter. I know the Agrabah stuff seems like a lot of filler, and it kind of is, but we'll be returning here, your suffering is not for naught. Ha._

_The update schedule has become markedly slower. I want to extend a request, which will also explain why. Thus far in D2 I've been content to leave many doors open with the meta plot. Things have been incredibly vague. Part of that is to stir YOUR curiosity, but the other half has been for me. I have spent the past five days or so hammering out all of the directions I can take this story while covering all the loose ends I wanted to touch on in the grander series, going all the way back to KH1. I have finally settled on a specific course. That means I know what shape the Keyblade War will now take, I know what role Sora will play, and I know how Kingdom Hearts, the X-Blade, and the Door to Darkness all interplay with it. I'm not exactly married to an outline, it's not THAT concrete, but I DO have a direction._

_So, my fabulous readers (I mean it, you guys are fantastic, I'm floored by the reception you guys have had) my request now, to you: Share your confusion. If there comes a spit of exposition that really SHOULD answer question X about the games' metaphysics, but it wasn't, point it out to me. Chances are I WILL have a reason, but maybe I don't. Remember, the goal of D2 is to close up as many holes as possible. If one of the holes you care about is not among them, bring it up to me, I want to hear it! I only hope that the payoff for all these fun threads is as intriguing for you, and leaves you thinking as much as the build up has. With love always, Yuri))_


	23. Chapter 23 The Crossroads of Nightfall

_((**Author's Note:** Secret Disney property Yuri was excited about? Secret Disney property Yuri was excited about._

_*Jon Stewart fist* BOOM!))_

Riku and Ven emerged into a crowded city street. The air was muggy, and cold. Street lamps lit the city. In fact there was so much light in the city that the skies above took on a pinkish-orange glow. The stars were incredibly faint. Riku felt reminded of the World That Never Was. The skies thundered, though all that was hitting the ground was a faint drizzle. There was a commotion around one of the enormous skyscrapers. Riku and Ven ran over to the circle of people, who were all being pushed back by the police. Whistles were blowing and some of the cops were getting really frustrated. The pair of Key-bearers looked up at the enormous building. It was quite possibly the largest either had ever seen, stretching up into the stormclouds themselves. What appeared to be lightning was flashing in them, but it was all tinted red and the faint sounds of explosions could be heard. More law enforcement kept arriving, one of them in a red civilian car. She pulled her maroon jacket over her shoulders, heading to the clearing.

That was when Riku noticed a falling pile of rubble, and rushed out, tackling the woman to the ground, narrowly missing the falling debris. She seemed surprised, letting out a whistle, "Wow, that one almost had my name on it. Thanks," she said, dusting herself off and standing up.

"Not a problem," Riku said warmly, "Detective…?"

"Maza," the woman with the dark hair and red coat, sounding a little too busy with her thoughts. That or her attitude cooled on seeing yet another street punk, wearing a blindfold at night, no less. She inclined her head back to the police line, "but I'm going to have to ask you to step back."

"Right," Riku smiled faintly, heading back to Ven. He noted that the large stone had claw marks in it, and pointed it out to his friend, "Look at that."

Ven leaned forward to see better, "Huh, what do you think is going on?"

"Heartless maybe?" Riku postulated.

"Or Unversed," Ven muttered.

Riku nodded, "That's what I was thinking. Either way, it means we have to get involved." He summoned Road to Dawn, examining the Keyblade in his hands, looking up at the enormous tower. He turned to Ven, "Like riding a bicycle."

Ven raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Riku got a smile on his lips, a smile Ven recognized from the islands. He smudged the thought down_, No, not the islands. But…that's the smile right? Before we'd race each other?_ Riku inclined his head towards the tower, and leaping over the police line, ran straight at the tower, launching himself up at the building, using the indented windows to leap up, getting to a solid speed and running straight up the wall, Keyblade ahead of him for protection from debris. Ven sat gaping, but shook his head, summoning Oathkeeper and taking a deep breath. _Okay, Ventus. We can do this._ He gulped, zipping right through the officers who were all watching Riku's feat with too much attention to block the blonde boy from dashing past them, and performing the same feat. As he landed on the wall, Ven got the sense that something was missing. He remembered this instinctively. Only there were no Heartless here, weren't there? And…and his hand, it felt empty.

A few hundred feet above him, he saw Riku's palm glow with power, firing one of his Dark Firaga at another hunk of falling stone. One of the chunks was rather large, spinning around. Ven dug the Oathkeeper's teeth into the wall and used it to sling himself over the falling rock, somersaulting over the stone and landing back on course. The pair entered the cloud cover. Now things were happening with less warning, their moves more frantic and less acrobatic. Ven was surprised to see that they had passed right through the clouds, still a few hundred feet of tower left. At the very top rested an ancient looking castle. Now the flashes of light were clear, definitely laser blasts of some kind. That was when Ven saw the small, black body of a Heartless fall past him, its glowing yellow eyes catching his own. Riku was almost at the top of the tower, and as he reached the stoneworks of the castle, Ven hoisted Oathkeeper below his waist, "Riku!" he shouted, slinging the weapon up.

Riku vaulted off the wall and into the air, turning upright and catching the Oathkeeper mid-Strike Raid. Brandishing both Oathkeeper and Road to Dawn in each hand, he corkscrewed as he fell to the courtyard of the castle, spinning in a ring of Dark Firaga energy like a cyclone. Ven took his turn, doing a more simple flip over the wall and taking stock of the situation. There were Unversed and Heartless here, dozens of them. On the ramparts, Ven could see some massive beasts doing battle with the creatures. A shrewd blonde man with a crewcut and glasses seemed to be fighting the Unversed hand-to-hand of all things. In a doorway stood a much taller man, with dark skin and black hair. He had quite a handsome countenance, with a trim beard. He seemed to be the source of the laser fire, as he carried a massive cannon at his side almost half the size of his body. He took aim at a Heartless and fired at it, blasting the armored creature over the side of the castle walls before it vaporized in mid-air. Riku spun Oathkeeper back at Ven, who caught it handily.

Riku was slowly tearing his way through the mobs of Unversed and Heartless. He was a slow, unrelenting machine, plowing through the creatures. His Dark energy was incredibly violent, his aura so powerful that many of the weaker Heartless who leapt at him were vaporizing as they neared his body. Ven shook his head, the scene so familiar to him. Only…Riku had been falling. Falling past him to the ground the last time he saw creatures of Darkness explode like that around his energy. Riku palmed a Dark Firaga at a Neoshadow who was attacking the well-dressed blonde man, who nodded to him courteously, though his expression seemed permanently sour. Ven ran up to the ramparts, seeing a large beast grappling with a shield-bearing Heartless. It was purple, and had enormous wings, with claws on its hands and feet, and some bony horn like structure on its face. Its wild mane of black hair was blowing in the strong wind up here. Its eyes were glowing white as it roared, throwing the Heartless over the castle wall to the street that seemed to be miles below. The beast then turned on Ven, growling. Ven looked over its body, "Are you a Heartless?" he got into a fighting stance.

"Easy," the bearded man was running towards the pair. "Goliath, I think they're here to help." The beast growled, easing up slightly, but Ven had trouble seeing if his face was pleasant or uneasy in its monstrous features. The gentleman came forward, handing his cannon to his human companion, "Forgive my combative friend, we aren't used to guests."

The blonde man walked to the castle wall, where a flip-board panel housed the rack for the weapon. He then pulled off his glasses, cleaning them, his attention more focused on the spotless lenses than the intruders, "I hope you realize you're trespassing on Mr. Xanatos' property."

Riku leapt up to the rampart behind Ven, "Xanatos?" he asked warily, holding his Keyblade in a defensive position, his voice hard and cold, "sounds like a Nobody name." Ven's eyes went wide, looking from Riku to Xanatos, but understanding the meaning, got into a guarded stance as well.

Xanatos spread his arms, all smiles, "Oh, I'm hardly a nobody. You're standing atop the headquarters of Xanatos Enterprises, my own personal investment company. And this is Wyvern Castle," he gestured to the enormous beast next to him, "and this is Goliath, guardian of the castle and leader of the Wyvern Clan."

The large creature stepped forward. His expression was still sour, but his eyes had stopped glowing, revealing two fierce black eyes. His wings encircled his body, the little claws at the ridge of his wings like clasps, holding the massive leathery bat-like wings around his body like a cape. Several more of the creatures landed behind him. A large red one, with a beak more than a mouth, and probably almost as strong as Goliath. A small green one, who looked more like a goblin in a fantasy book than any of his kin. A large tubby teal one joined them, looking most similar to Goliath of the three, and an old brown creature, with a wounded, yellowed eye, carrying what seemed to be a…dog, similar to the beasts. Goliath looked down at the two Key-bearers, then for the first time seemed to notice their weapons, eyes wide, "You two…you are Mages of Creation?!"

Xanatos raised an eyebrow, "Mages of Creation?"

Riku and Ven looked at each other more confused than Xanatos, "Uh," Ven said, "you'll have to explain that one."

Goliath pointed at Ven's Oathkeeper, unable to remove his eyes, "Those weapons…they are an ancient Gargoyle legend. Mages who fought with swords that could open any Heart, create any world. The swords in the shape of keys."

The older Gargoyle stepped forward, "Aye, that's a Mage's weapon, alright." He raised his good eyebrow at the boys, "A bit wet behind the ears to be all powerful mages, though."

"All powerful?" Xanatos asked. Though he wasn't accustomed to being seemingly ignored, he wasn't showing much impatience with it.

Ven shook his head, waving his hands in front of him and laughing nervously, "Oh, no, uhhhh…we're not nearly that strong, ah-heheh…" he rubbed the back of his head nervously, smiling.

The elder Gargoyle leaned towards Xanatos, but like Goliath his eyes were locked on the key-shaped weapons, "The Mages were the ones who created the world as we know it. They divided the Earth, the Underworld, and Avalon at the dawn of creation. So the legend goes, of course."

"But," Goliath whispered, his voice humble, and not as savage as it was before, "they only did so after destroying the old world."

This piqued Xanatos' interest, and now his eyes were locked on the two weapons as much as any of the Gargoyles, "Creation and destruction?" his eyes looked sternly to Riku, "I suppose that makes you Shiva?"

Riku tilted his head confused. Goliath seemed to be just as lost, "Shiva?"

"The Hindu god of destruction," Xanatos said, then looking to Ven, "And that would make you Brahma," he mused.

"Eh, no, not really, heheh," Ven said, still sheepishly trying to play down the story, "My name's actually Ventus, this is Riku," he gestured to the taller key-bearer.

"Well Riku, Ventus," Xanatos smiled, "I hope you won't turn down my hospitality. I insist you stay here with me. Owen?" he turned to the other Human with him.

"Yes, sir?" the dry sounding man sounded. Riku surmised he must be Xanatos's personal assistant.

"See to it that some guest quarters are set aside for our new guests. Something in the castle, perhaps?"

"I believe several of the refurbished rooms will suffice," Owen said bowing slightly before heading into the castle itself.

"Mages," Goliath spoke, his voice still reverent and reflective, "perhaps you can tell us more about those creatures. They attacked the castle, will they return?"

Riku finally let his guard down, apparently finally satisfied that they were in no immediate danger, "The Heartless and the Unversed…I've never seen them work together before."

"Yeah, that was weird," Ven added, folding his arms.

"Heartless and Unversed," Xanatos tried the new words on his tongue, "they seem to be some kind of sapient monster. What are they exactly?"

Riku put away his Keyblade, "The Heartless were once people. They have since fallen to the Darkness in their Heart. That's what they are now, Hearts of pure Darkness, lacking any Light whatsoever. They can devour the Light within you, consume you so you turn into one of them, as well. They naturally hunt for Hearts, both of people, and the Heart of the World."

"What happens when they find the Heart of the World?" Xanatos asked, stroking his beard.

"Like a person, it is consumed in Darkness. Just like a Heartless is so unlike a person, this world will undergo a similar transformation."

"The Unversed are a bit different," Ven jumped in, adding his own expertise, "they are bits of negativity from someone's Heart. It's the Darkness within given a voice. And that means Kara's on this world."

"Who is Kara?" Goliath asked.

"The Unversed's progenitor," Ven answered, sounding discouraged, "she creates and controls them. If you defeat them, the negative emotions simply flow back into her."

"So like the queen bee?" Xanatos asked.

"I suppose it's kind of like that," Riku answered.

All of their attention was drawn to the doorway when Owen returned, "Mr. Xanatos, there is a detective here to see you about tonight's little disturbance."

"Of course. Show them in, Owen," Xanatos turned to the others, "Goliath perhaps you and your clan should stay hidden for the time being, Humans are unaccustomed to seeing Gargoyles for over a thousand years."

Goliath grumbled, which still sounded like a guttural roar, "Very well, Xanatos. For now." He led his small group of Gargoyles away and into one of the towers, their lumbering footsteps rumbling the stone wall with their collective migration.

Xanatos looked to the Key-bearers, "Well, gentlemen, why don't you come with me?" his voice fluid with charm.

He led the two boys into the castle, greeting Owen and the detective. Riku recognized her from the ground below as she held up a badge, "Mr. Xanatos? Detective Elisa Maza. There was quite a commotion down-" she cut herself off at seeing Riku behind Xanatos, "You!"

Xanatos raised an eyebrow, "You two have met?"

"You…I…I don't know what you did," Elisa managed to stutter out, "but what is going on here?"

"Allow me to explain," Xanatos said, bowing slightly and grinning at the detective, "as you can see the newest addition to my tower has been reworked to be more modernly convenient. One of the power generators we used to power the castle overworked and exploded. These two gentlemen arrived to help us, quite to my gratitude," he extended an arm to the key-bearers.

Elisa seemed less than convinced, "Don't treat me like an idiot, Mr. Xanatos," she said with ever slimming patience, "I heard gunfire up here."

"Of course," Xanatos quickly responded, "we had to break into the wiring and cut it, the only was to blast into the walls where the wiring was hidden."

"Uh huh," she said less than convinced, "I presume there are permits for these weapons you used?"

"I'll have Owen forward you the paperwork first thing in the morning," Xanatos smiled, offering a hand, "Perhaps you would like to look around a bit, Ms. Maza?"

Elisa caught her gaze with Riku's for a long moment, "I think as long as you get the paperwork handled, I think we can call this even. But if I don't like it, I'll be back tomorrow, with a warrant."

"Of course," Xanatos smiled, "Owen will show you out," he nodded to his assistant who led Elisa out of the room towards the elevator. Xanatos turned to the key-bearers, inclining his thumb to a room, "Why don't you two come with me, I'm curious about something." The two boys followed the businessman, entering a large hall. This was probably the castle's mead hall in older days, extremely long, wide, and tall. In it Xanatos had placed a series of glass cases and hung various tapestries from the walls. Looking around, Riku could tell Xanatos had put a lot of effort into collecting the rare and exotic, turning this into his own private museum. He turned at the centerpiece, a large magenta-covered tome encased in glass. He folded his arms, leaning against the large display, "When you arrived, you called me a nobody, but I think that word had different meaning for you."

Riku nodded, his concealed gaze focused on Xanatos while Ven's head twisted and turned to see all the exhibits, "That's right. When a Heartless is created, the body of the person left behind turns into a Nobody. Many powerful Nobodies exist with names like yours, names focusing on an X."

"An X, you say? How curious," Xanatos said, "does that always happen that way?"

Riku shrugged gently, "We're not sure. My guess is it has something to do with Master Xehanort. Whatever it is it's a cosmetic decision. Get them worked up and they still respond to their human names."

"So these "Nobodies" are Humans, but without Hearts?" Xanatos peered at Riku.

"That's right, although most Nobodies don't look Human. Only the most powerful wills can retain their old shape."

Xanatos nodded. Riku couldn't put his finger on it but he seemed depressed by something within this information, "Nobodies, Heartless, Unversed, how does one keep track of it all, I wonder."

"You'll get used to it," Ven piped in, proving he had been paying a little attention, though he was still studying many of the exhibits. He started to wander about the room as Riku and Xanatos continued their conversation.

"So what the Gargoyles said about you…is it true?"

Riku seemed a bit uncomfortable now, "Well, it does fit certain legends about the Keyblade. But even we know very little about the history of the Keyblade War. Supposedly it was a war across all creation by Key-Bearers of Light and Darkness."

Xanatos stroked his chin, smirking, "And which type are you?"

Riku gave Xanatos a steady gaze, his voice just as level and calm, "I'm neither. And both."

"You play the middle, I can respect that," Xanatos nodded, "I myself have been known to wander the grey area." His head turned up to Ven, nodding at him, "and him?"

Riku looked back, watching Ventus intently study every exhibit with a fierce curiosity, "Ven is the most innocent Key-Bearer I've known. There isn't a fragment of Darkness within him."

Xanatos chuckled as Ven almost knocked over an old looking vase, catching it and looking around to make sure no one had seen, which seemed to prompt Xanatos actually calling out, "Careful, that's Sumerian, only 13 whole ones still exist." Xanatos seemed amused when Ven blushed, bowing apologetically at this and quickly busying himself with an exhibit behind glass he couldn't break. Xanatos lowered his voice back to his conversation with Riku, "So I guess that makes him your center. It's important to keep friends like that around when you tread the grey like we do, Riku. They'll keep you honest."

Riku smiled nostalgically, remembering his time with Sora, and his recent trips with Ven, "Yeah," was the only word he felt did Xanatos's remarks justice.

"Might I see your Keyblade?" Xanatos asked, still sounding like a boy trading baseball cards with Riku.

"If you want," Riku said, summoning Road to Dawn and offering it to Xanatos.

The playboy held it in both hands, turning it over in admiration, "The angelic and the demonic," he whispered, noting the dual guard and the shaft of Soul Eater, with the tooth of an angel wing, "are there many Key wielders like you Riku? Of Light and Darkness?"

"I'm the only one that I know of," Riku answered.

"Fascinating," Xanatos said quietly. He was clearly lost in his own thoughts. It didn't take much to see that he had found something he would very much like in his museum, "Is this safe? You aren't afraid I'm going to steal this and use it to reshape the world?" he grinned teasingly.

"Not really," Riku said, raising a hand as Road to Dawn flashed in Xanatos's hands, appearing in Riku's palm as he clenched his grip around the handle.

Xanatos whistled, "Neat trick. I don't suppose I could get one of those?"

Riku laughed, "You never know. Keyblades choose their wielders, if they see you as a worthy instrument of their will, they will accept you."

Xanatos seemed pleased by this. Riku could see the decision in his eyes: one way or another, Xanatos would acquire a Keyblade. Riku inwardly shook his head. Xanatos was at the least a very interesting type of man. He decided to steer the conversation elsewhere, "So, can I ask you, what are the Gargoyles?"

Xanatos indicated the book in the display he was resting on, "I learned of them through this book. Castle Wyvern was once the seat of the Gargoyles' clan. A Magus cast a powerful enchantment on them that turned them to stone for a thousand years. I rebuilt the castle piece by piece here, in Manhattan, as the Magus's spell called for the castle to 'rise above the clouds'. So I did just that. They only just awoke tonight."

"And then the Heartless attacked?" Riku asked.

"Too convenient?" Xanatos tried to gauge the boy's reaction.

"Heartless are drawn to powerful Hearts," Riku observed, "perhaps they saw an easy target in the Gargoyles?"

Xanatos seemed to consider the possibility, "the last of their kind, from a more savage time, still grieving for their clan members. I suppose it's possible. But I sense something more sinister at work."

"Grieving?" Ven asked, walking up behind Riku. He was apparently done with his tour.

"Yes," Xanatos nodded, "I'm afraid it's quite a sad story. But the entire clan was killed the night before they were enchanted. The ones you saw tonight were the last of their kind."

Ven's eyes were wide, expressive of his pity, "That's terrible. How could something like that happen?"

"A traitorous dog, that's how," said an old voice from the entry to the little museum. The three Humans turned and looked to see the old brown Gargoyle entering, looking around as Ventus had before, "our closest Human ally betrayed the castle, the princess, and my clan," he sighed. Looking to Xanatos, "Have ye seen Goliath? He's all but vanished."

"I'm sure he's around," the overly friendly Xanatos said.

Ven was still stuck on the story, "Your friend killed your clan?" he asked sadly.

The old Gargoyle peered at Ven, "Aye," he said, even his bad eye was almost raised in surprise, "he claimed to be innocent of the death of my kin, but he was still guilty of working with the Vikings."

Riku was still facing forward, the only one who seemed uninvolved in the conversation. The shame wouldn't allow him to budge his muscles to turn and face the Gargoyle properly.

"I can't imagine betraying my friends like that," Ven whispered, his own mind back on Terra and Aqua.

"If I may ask, laddie," the old Gargoyle fussed, "why is it that you are so unafraid of us? Most Humans we meet are afraid of our kind."

Ven blinked, "Oh, well, you're not the first funny looking creatures I've seen. We've been to lots of worlds, all full of surprises."

The Gargoyle seemed taken aback, "'Funny looking'?"

Xanatos chuckled, "Well, it's been a long night, perhaps our guests would like some sleep?"

* * *

><p>Larxene wasn't particularly impressed with their surroundings. This underground bunker was, frankly, quite tacky and unkempt. It was littered with magical instruments, and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she noticed Sora sleeping off to the side. Oblivion was next to him, within arm's reach should he need it. Larxene quietly snuck over to the side of his…well, a stone ledge with a blanket over it was what it was, "bed" wouldn't describe it even to a caveman. Kneeling down, she gently lifted the Keyblade reverently in both hands. Standing and taking a few steps away, eyes on Sora to see he was still asleep, she swung the blade a few times, testing the grip in her hand. The weapon was almost perfect. The awkward looking guard was actually far less cumbersome than she initially thought it would be, and within a few swings she found herself able to twirl it around her body. The guard was in fact a useful thread line, making sure the blade didn't clip her own body in the fast rotation. She charged her hand with lightning, flinging the Oblivion across the dank underground room. Her electric tether kept the blade connected to her energy as she swung it around like a whip, or some strange dancing ribbon before snapping it back to her hand. She examined the blade in both hands again, smiling. It truly was, as Xemnas was fond of calling it, a marvelous weapon.<p>

"You're quite good," a low voice said. Larxene sheepishly spun around to see Sora held up on an arm still in his bed.

Larxene laughed nervously, "Ah, well, I used to swordfight quite a bit when I was a kid," she said, tossing the weapon back to Sora, who caught it easily. "The boys always called it cheating when I used my wooden daggers and fought them hand to hand."

Sora smiled, "you practiced fighting when you were a child, too, huh?"

Larxene nodded, "Back home I did. All the kids hung out on the small island," she said casually, looking out the tiny window into the night in their host's home.

Sora sat upright, "You're from the Destiny Islands?"

Larxene turned around, "I am. Or I was. You, too?"

"I was," Sora said. "But it's gone now."

"Huh," Larxene said, quite unconcerned with the weight of the statement. Even Sora thought it was a bit cold for Larxene. The blonde Nobody looked out the window again.

"Did you have family there?" Sora asked.

Sora could feel Larxene tense up and twitch, "I did, once," she said quietly. "But they're gone now."

Sora looked at her curiously, "Well, the world is lost to Darkness."

Larxene looked up at the sky through her small window. She could see a small sliver of stars between two buildings. Everything on this world seemed so much larger than back there, "Before that. Before the first time, even."

Sora's instincts recognized the tone of voice. It was the voice Riku had used when he feared returning to the Realm of Light, "You killed them, didn't you?" Larxene continued staring out the window, pretending she hadn't heard him. The only sound was the fiber in her gloves cracking as she clenched a fist. Sora felt sadness once again for his new companion, a feeling he was finding too common when dealing with her, "Is that why you secretly hate yourself?"

Larxene's voice was uncharacteristically flat, "I don't secretly hate myself."

Sora didn't say anything at first, laying Oblivion down on his bed, and casting the steady gaze of his golden eyes on her, his voice pitiable, almost tired, "Yeah, guess you're right," he let the implication go unspoken.

Larxene's head twitched, biting her tongue. They were both saved by the sounds of the street door opening, indicating the return of their host. The door to the chamber opened as a tall, demonic looking creature entered, with claws, wings, fangs, and fiery red hair. She looked between the pair, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, Demona," Sora said, standing up. "Did your scouting go well?"

"My clan walks again," she said happily. "And soon I will have Goliath and the others eating out of the palm of my hand!"

"You spoke with him?" the Key-bearer asked.

"No," she said, voice calming a bit, "I only observed. It will be easier tomorrow night when the shock of this night is over."

"And your associate?" Sora pressed.

"He'll play his part," Demona said dismissively, "he seems to be enthralled with the strangers who arrived."

"Strangers?" Larxene asked.

"Two of them. They joined them in the battle against my Heartless and…some other creatures. I didn't recognize them, they didn't respond to my will," Demona hurried her explanation, "but they managed to destroy them utterly."

Sora's voice grew stern, "Were they dressed like me?" he practically shouted.

Demona seemed taken aback, and her voice was just as dismissive of Sora as it had been of every other Human she had spoken of, "I wouldn't know. But they did seem to be different, not entirely of this world. The weapons they used were like swords, but unlike anything I have observed in over a thousand years."

"Was one of them a girl? A blonde boy?" Larxene observed Sora more frantic than she had seen, even when faced with the prospect of battling Xehanort. To be fair, he seemed more angry than nervous, though, "Did one have long, blue-platinum hair?"

Demona thought on this for a moment, "I do believe one might have. He was the strongest, from what I saw. Maybe even stronger than Goliath."

Sora summoned Oblivion, "their weapons, did they look like this?"

Demona's eyes widened, apparently finally taking notice of it for the first time. "A Creator's Blade?" she looked up at Sora with quite possibly the first interest she had demonstrated since he taught her to control the Heartless, "you are a Mage of Creation?"

"Easy sister," Larxene hit Demona in the shoulder, causing the Gargoyle to turn and snarl at her, "Slow down and what's this about mages?"

Demona's hungry eyes turned to the Oblivion again, "The Mages of Creation destroyed the old world, and rebuilt it in their design. They used blades shaped like keys. That must have been what the others were, too!" She turned to face Sora, her face eager, "Is that why you came? To destroy the world and rebuild it?"

Larxene raised an eyebrow, "You seem awfully excited for the end of the world. What's in it for you?"

Demona smiled at Sora. He couldn't help but find a sort of feral beauty in it, "I'm more interested in the rebuilding of the world. I could make it so that Gargoyles ruled over the Humans. If I only could use your power to do it," she said excitedly, placing her enormous clawed hands over Sora's, "I would do anything to use that power to give my brethren their rightful place!"

Sora had been analyzing Demona's reactions for some time, his amber eyes were focused on the gleeful delight on the Gargoyle's lips, finally speaking, "Keyblades do what they will. If your Heart is strong enough, one will undoubtedly come to you."

Demona smiled triumphantly at him, "I have endured 1,000 years of persecution and hate. I am strong enough!"

Sora looked to Larxene. The Nobody was all but laughing and shaking her head. Even a Nobody could see how foolish the Gargoyle's plan was. Sora turned back to his ally on this world, "We will see, Demona. If you can wield it, I will help you as you ask."

"You will be doing Gargoyles a great justice," Demona said with the most sincere conviction Sora had ever heard.

"In the meantime," Sora said, "we have work to do."

* * *

><p>A blue comet streaked down towards the earth, depositing Mickey back where he started. A broken tower was all that greeted him, half collapsed. A massive battle had taken place here as the frantic King hurried towards the door.<p>

"Master Yen Sid?" the King's mind was racing with all the things that could have gone wrong. Did Sora do this? Or Xehanort? Did he kill Yen Sid? He was greeted on entering the tower but two figures talking in the atrium, who turned to look at him. Mickey immediately drew his Keyblade, staring the pair down, but they seemed to not find his presence worth getting defensive about just yet.

"Your Majesty," the calm voice of Maleficent addressed him, "put your blade away we aren't here to be your foes."

Mickey looked from one to the other, "Where is Master Yen Sid?"

Pete looked worse for the wear at hearing the question, "Kicked the bucket, I'm afraid."

Mickey's face broke. To say the King wore his Heart on his sleeve was a bit of an understatement, but this news seemed to drag his face down into a saddened frown. "How?" was all he managed to gasp out, as his blade lowered, dropping his guard in his shock. _No, Master…I failed you. Like I failed Ventus. And Terra. And Aqua, and Riku…_

Maleficent seemed unsure of what to tell him, "Sora seems to have corrupted his Heart. He became a Heartless, as I understand."

Mickey clenched his fist, "So it's true."

"Sora is indeed a Dark wielder," Maleficent stated, as to leave no misunderstandings about the situation, "and indeed, one of the most powerful I have ever seen."

Mickey seemed to realize the more pressing question, taking his eyes from the floor, "What are you two doing here, though?"

"Guarding the Princesses," Pete said emphatically. Then, with less enthusiasm, "well, one of them," his voice turned sheepish, "well, we tried."

Mickey's confused face turned to Maleficent for a translation, "We were hiding Alice here," she explained, "from the clutches of Xehanort. We rescued her from three of his clones in Wonderland, with the help of Sora, and his Nobody pet, what was her name?"

"Larxene," Pete's body clenched up, as if just saying her name would make her appear and start beating him up.

"You were guarding Alice? Why?"

Maleficent sighed, "We surmised that if we could keep just one out of Xehanort's hands, he could not proceed with his plan to unseal Kingdom Hearts. Sora's duty was to keep him off balance, while we shielded Alice from Xehanort's eyes. If he could get another, we would keep them from him, unfortunately," she said, looking at Pete with a shared shame, "he still managed to find us. Five of his Vessels came, and took her from us. All I could do was protect us to stop him from destroying us in the process."

"So Xehanort has the Princesses now?" Mickey asked.

"Safe bet," Pete grumbled, "if he doesn't have all seven, he certainly has five or six."

"Donald, Goofy, and Lea are traveling with Kairi," Mickey said assuredly, "I don't think Xehanort will be getting a hold of her any time soon."

"If Xehanort has six Princesses, he needs only bring them to Kairi's location to begin his ritual," Maleficent observed.

Mickey shook his head, "No, I don't think so. Last time Xehanort went to great lengths to forge the X-Blade at the Keyblade Graveyard. I think he's going to try there, again."

Maleficent's eyes widened, happening upon an idea, "So we know exactly where he will perform this ritual?"

Mickey nodded, "I'm almost sure of it!"

Maleficent's hand came to her chin in thought, "Then there's still a chance. I think we can do it, Mickey. But we must work together if we are to stop Xehanort once and for all."

Mickey looked suspiciously at the two. He had spent many years trying to thwart these two, and he wasn't the least bit trusting of them. But, he recalled his conversation with the Nobody in Olympus. Giving the pair a firm nod, he held out his hand, "Welp, I guess that means we're in this together."

((**A/N:** I can't be the only one who wants to see Gargoyles in KH3.))


	24. Chapter 24 When You Stare Into the Abyss

_((**A/N:** Yep. I'm back to this. Long time, long time. Expect some further updates over the next week or two. After that? We'll see.))_

A portal opened in the Realm of Sleep. The figure present there turned, now mostly alone in this unusual world. Three figures emerged from the Dark Gateway, all hooded in black. One almost immediately started speaking on seeing their goal, "I presume this is it?" he asked, indicating the native they had just intruded upon.

The other taller figure stepped forward, the shorter one hanging back, "Yes," he said to his double, "a robe of a Nobody, with Nightmare markings. How did Vexen refer to it?"

"Anti-Coat."

"Ah yes," he said. "The Heart of Darkness warped in this place."

"I thought they all merged with their bodies in this place?" the first one asked.

"As did I. For whatever reason, it doesn't appear to have been able to merge with its original body."

The patterned Organization robe, with glowing red eyes, the symbol of Nightmares rising from the ground like a fire consuming the entity, seemed more bored with the two cloaked and hooded strangers.

The two both looked back at the shorter figure, when the first one spoke up, "You think this thing can endure it?"

The second shrugged, "As well as you think it can. It is our only option." In a flash, the second Xehanort blasted the Anti-Coat, bringing the creature to its knees. Another wave of Darkness sent the thing sprawling onto its back, slowly degenerating as flames of Dark energy poured from its body in death.

The first looked at the smaller Organization figure behind them, "Now, take his power. It will make you whole."

The shorter robed figure silently stepped forward, starting to glow as it approached the prone Nightmare lying on the ground.

* * *

><p>David Xanatos looked primed for business. He briskly walked to his private helicopter, tightening the black gloves he wore. His suit was black, as well. Italian, of course, as was his preference. His dark crimson shirt was intimidating, but it needed to be. Business negotiations were a delicate matter, and when someone like Demona had people she "wanted you to meet", at the price of changing the plans you had been working on for two months, it was not the time to be friendly, cuddly David Xanatos.<p>

Owen greeted him at the chopper, "Mr. Xanatos, everything is in readiness for our departure," he nodded, pushing his glasses further up his face.

"What of Ven and Riku?" he said with none of the warmness he had shown towards the boys the night before.

"I understand they will be spending time with the Gargoyles," Owen answered in his dry, serious manner.

Xanatos nodded, "Very good. Let's be off," he allowed Owen to enter first, heading for the pilot's seat. This was a delicate operation, and there could be no third parties involved. Minimizing Demona's exposure and keeping his staff in the dark was key to the whole Gargoyle plan. Slipping on some noise-deadening earphones, Owen started the rotor and got the chopper in the air. Xanatos slipped on his own pair so he could speak easier over the internal radio, "So, Owen, you know Demona better than anyone, who might these new allies she speaks of be?"

Owen raised an eyebrow, but kept his focus on the task at hand of flying the helicopter, "I can't say, Mr. Xanatos. Demona is usually quite distrusting of Humans. But her desperation in coming to you for the Castle Wyvern project would have implied she has no Gargoyle allies left."

"I had the same suspicion," Xanatos said looking out the window across sunset in Manhattan.

* * *

><p>Riku was walking around the castle grounds. It seemed so sturdy he still had a hard time imagining it the crown of a skyscraper. As he turned a corner he found himself bumping into a Gargoyle.<p>

"Oh, sorry there!" Riku apologized, looking down at the green creature, who was much smaller than his compatriots and had wings more like a flying squirrel tethered to his arms and legs.

"Oh, no, that's my fault," he said with a cheery voice, "I guess I wasn't paying attention." He looked the key-bearer up and down, eyes zeroing in on his blindfold, "You're…Riku right?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "though I didn't catch your name?"

"Oh, we don't have names," he waved Riku off. "Well, except Goliath."

"Goliath…the big purple one right?" Riku's hand went to his chin in thought.

"That's the one. I'm trying to find one of my rookery brothers. The big guy! Have you seen him?" he said, reaching his arms around in a wide circle around his waist to indicate his meaning of "big".

"Afraid not."

"Oh, well, I better find him, be seeing you!" he dashed on his way. Riku smirked that it was the way to the kitchen, fitting place to find him. Riku continued making his way outside. Ven had wanted to talk to the Gargoyles when they woke up. He figured he should reel the kid in, he might talk the old one's head off.

Though when he saw him, Ven seemed more interested in the dog-like beast, who was playing fetch with a stick Ven had riven from a tree in the re-creation courtyard. There was still the faintest of light from sunset, but night was quickly overpowering the last remnant of daylight. Riku stepped up next to the older Gargoyle, the only one apparently who carried a weapon in the form of an angled sword at his side, smirking at Ven's antics with the very friendly creature. The elder warrior stroked his beard, addressing Riku but keeping an eye on Ven and the dog, "'Tis a curious thing," he mused, "your friend is quite unusual for a Human."

Riku folded his arms, "What makes you say that?" he asked, his tone neither agreeing or arguing with the sentiment.

"Well," he elaborated, "Most Humans think of us as monsters. We've been vilified it would seem for most of Human history. But him…and you," he added bemusedly, "are somehow unafraid of us."

Riku looked to him, "Oh? Xanatos seems fine with your presence."

The older gargoyle grunted, "Hah! I'm too old to be fooled by Xanatos. He has his reasons for freeing us from the curse, Humans tend to have greed at heart when they try to employ Gargoyles."

Riku nodded. He didn't quite see it as pessimistically, but Xanatos did have a scheme inside a scheme. No rational billionaire would rebuild a castle, stone by stone, on top of his headquarters simply as a hobby, just to see if six statues would come to life. Though Riku credited him with an ingenious solution to solving the curse-loophole of the castle "rising above the clouds" as he had put it. "Well, on my world we don't have tales of Gargoyles. So we never learned to fear them, I guess."

"Huh," the old one mused, less snarky than before, "is it possible for a Human to grow up without fearing monsters?" he studied Ven's laughing face as he pet the dog-gargoyle.

Riku looked on with him, envying the pair, really, "We have monsters," he said quietly. He looked down at his own fist, clenching it repeatedly, "but they tend to come in Human form."

"That is a truth this world is all too familiar with," the Gargoyle nodded. "But no monster is unbeatable. You seem to have beaten quite a few in your time." Riku looked up at the Gargoyle, who was smirking at him in a rather brotherly sense. He pointed to the scar over his bad eye, that had turned it an opaque yellow, "Not all scars are visible, laddie. But a fellow warrior can tell another by the marks that he carries."

The old Gargoyle turned back to Ven and the dog-beast at play. After some moments had passed, "As an old warrior to another, never let him go," he said quietly, indicating Ventus, "Sometimes a friend with hope is all the reinforcements you'll recieve. But it is the most powerful."

Riku only nodded in affirmation.

* * *

><p>"You!"<p>

Riku looked up surprised. A dark-skinned woman in a bright red jacket was with Goliath, having caused something of a stir. Riku thought she looked familiar but couldn't quite place her...

"You're the lunatic who ran up the building!" she accused, pointing a finger at him. Her dark hair blew in the wind, rather killing the drama of the moment.

_Right. That detective._ "Ah," Riku said, "You remember that."

"Not a lot of teenagers wearing blindfolds freestyling up skyscrapers," she retorted.

"I suppose not."

The various other Gargoyles had come at the commotion. Goliath offered a hand at Riku as introduction, "This is Riku, a mage," he said. Then, gesturing to the detective, "This is Elisa Maza," he said, the Gargoyles having all assembled by now, "She is something called a 'detective'."

Elisa looked around, "And what are all of your names?" she asked.

"Our people do not carry names," Goliath answered.

"Only Goliath has a name," the fat green one added.

"Well everything needs a name," Elisa said, "some way to address it."

The old Gargoyle snorted, "Hah...does the sky need a name? Does the river?" he pointed to a large one that flowed straight through the city.

"The river is called the Hudson," Elisa cheekily remarked, folding her arms.

He sighed, "Ehhhh...very well, lass. If it's needed, you can call me 'Hudson' as well."

Goliath looked at his clan, "And the rest of you?"

The red one with the beak like mouth smiled...Riku thought..."Ho-ho, Brooklyn!"

"Broadway," the fat green one seemed to be trying out the word on his tongue.

The small one with the flying squirrel like wings seemed to consider his a great deal more carefully, before finally settling on one, "Lexington!"

Goliath patted their dog creature on the head, "I suppose he needs one as well?"

"I know this one," the new Brooklyn stepped forward, giving the dog a scratch behind the ear, "You can be Bronx!"

"Well, that's everyone," Goliath concluded. Looking around, he seemed to remember the absent guest, "Where is Ventus?"

"The blonde kid with you?" Elisa addressed Riku.

"That's him. I'm not sure," Riku answered. "He was...well, with Bronx, here."

"If there is something I can't stand," a voice called out from the top of the castle spire, "It's joy." Riku recognized it, drawing his keyblade and turning up to face the enemy.

_Kara._

At her side was a limp Ven, which she almost seemed to savor kicking down the roof, the limp body falling into the courtyard.

"Ven!"

Hudson acted on instinct, flying out and catching Ventus in his arms. Riku was already leaping up at Kara, confident in Hudson's skill to rescue him. Kara's expression was wild, unstable. She drew her Heart Blade, parrying Riku's swing at her, "Where is the Dark Wielder?"

"Right here," Riku palmed a Dark Firaga at Kairi's doppelganger.

Kara ducked easily enough, leaping from the spire to the causeway below, Riku in pursuit. She shook her head at him, "You're not who I need. You're just a nobody. Nobody nobody nobody!" she lunged at him, swinging frantically with her weapon. Riku was able to evade her quite easily, the girl lacking finesse in her martial arts.

Below, the Gargoyles had begin battling Unversed, the defeated turning into wisps of Darkness that funneled back into Kara, lighting fire in her eyes anew as the negativity was reabsorbed into her body. Her attacks became faster, more powerful, and Riku found himself having trouble keeping up. Strands of Dark energy formed around the Heart Blade, like the weapon had its own extensions, giving her more reach and sparking hotly whenever Riku tried to parry the blade.

Ventus stirred from his unconscious state, looking around to see his Gargoyle friends battling Unversed. He stumbled to his feet, leaning against a stone wall for balance. From above, he heard the sounds of a melee, and saw Riku battling Kara. It was just in time to watch her overwhelm him with a vicious onslaught, a final slash catching him off guard across the chest, causing him to buckle in pain. She delivered a few more blows, sending the wielder skidding out of Ven's line of sight.

Summoning Oathkeeper, Ven leapt up the ramparts to protect his friend, though his head still felt dizzy, and the world was in slow motion.

Kara advanced on the wounded Riku, who was clutching at his body in agony. The Heart Blade did its job well, causing each attack that landed to wound its victim's Heart. "You're just a nobody," she coldly repeated, when Ventus somersaulted over the rampart, landing between herself and the Keyblade Master.

"I'll make you suffer, too, Roxas," the silver-haired Kairi-clone spoke. Ven moved in to attack, but in his deadened state, and Kara's hyper-rage, she was easily able to turn his attack back on him, kicking him against the wall near Riku. Riku was finally able to stand, cradling a limp arm, his breathing labored.

Kara triumphantly raised her weapon, but Riku's eyes darted between her feet, where a puddle of Darkness was spreading. It seemed to take Kara by surprise, as black tendrils shot up and wrapped around her arms, legs, and waist. Her face was pure rage as she tugged, but the bindings would not let go. The Heart Blade disappeared, and her voice became frantic, "No, noooo! Let me go!" she shrieked into the night, her body flaring up in dark fire. Even Riku had to shield his eyes from the immolation, her howling scream as oppressive as the inferno, but it didn't seem to be doing her any good, as the dark tendrils dragged her deeper into the portal at her feet.

As the fire and swirling mists of Darkness faded, Riku met, almost like a phantom, with his hand outstretched mere paces behind where Kara had been, the amber eyed boy with spiky hair. His outfit covered in chains and buckles, black and red with his yellow shoes, he seemed to have been advancing on the position, the portal likely his doing. He came to stop right where Kara had been standing a moment ago.

"Yo," his voice was quiet, practically a whisper. His expression was just as dead.

"S-Sora...?" Riku managed to get out. But the word felt like it was said to a sound proof room. He could feel the time it took for the words to exchange between the pair. Behind Sora, Riku saw Xanatos, a female Gargoyle with red hair he hadn't yet met, and a female Nobody. He only recognized the latter from one of Ansem's files on the Organization during his stay in Twilight Town.

But they were sideshows. The true event was Sora himself. His scent was...wrong. No wonder he hadn't noticed his approach.

Riku's vision blurred. His eyes burned, and despite his best efforts tears began to well up and run into his blindfold. _No. No._

Ventus managed to bring himself back to his feet again. The movement caught Sora's gaze, "Ventus," he rolled the word around in his mouth, as if tasting it for the first time, "I've waited a long time to meet you."

The blonde haired keybearer squinted at the figure, "...No...Vanitas?"

The name seemed to take Sora back by surprise. "That name..." he paused, as if considering it. He looked back to Ven's eyes, "Don't you recognize me?" he asked playfully, "It's me. Sora. You allowed me to use the Keyblade." At this, he reached out his hand, summoning the black chained Oblivion. Ven's eyes widened at the sight in recognition, looking down to the Oathkeeper in his hands.

"Yes," Sora dragged the word out, "You'd be proud of all I did with your power."

Ventus shook his head, "Where did you take Kara?"

"I need her," came the curt reply. "She's going to help me destroy Xehanort."

Riku's eyes widened, and he looked Sora in the face, still kneeling on the ground. The various Gargoyles had climbed or flew up to the tower where the Keybearers now discussed the fate of the universe. "You...you're not one of Xehanort's clones?"

Sora looked down at Riku, his eyes ruthless and condescending, voice flat, "Not at all. We're still on the same side, after all."

Riku shook his head, pushing himself to stand upright, "No," he said coldly, "We aren't the same at all right now, Sora."

Sora seemed genuinely confused, "Oh? We have the same goal, Riku." Even the sound of his own name from his lips made Riku flinch, "To destroy Xehanort."

"Is that why you killed Master Yen Sid?" Riku spat at him. Sora's expression didn't change. Riku seemed to be putting the pieces together in his head, and after a moment came to another realization, "Did...did you have anything to do with the return of the Heartless?"

"Oh?" Sora smiled at this, "what gives you that idea?"

Riku summoned Road to Dawn, but keeping the blade at his side, "It was something I read in Ansem's books. One of the experiments...the more Light in a Heart the greater draw for the Heartless..." he was still breathing heavily, but pushed on, "Is that why you killed him?"

"You're awfully well informed," Sora chuckled, "It's almost a wonder why Ansem didn't store his data inside your Heart instead of mine." Riku tilted his head, but Sora could guess his thoughts, "Yes, that's right. All of Ansem's digital library. It's in here," he patted his chest, "Courtesy of Namine, naturally."

Ventus finally stepped forward, "When they pulled me out of Sora, they forgot to extract Vanitas...that's what happened, isn't it? He's overpowering you! You have to fight him, Sora!"

Sora sneered at the implication, "You fail to understand the obvious."

Riku looked to Ventus, "Is that true? Sora," he turned back to his oldest friend, "is that why..?"

The accusation just seemed to sour Sora's mood, as if what little enjoyment he was taking from the conversation had evaporated with the accusation. "Don't interfere, Riku," he said, taking a step back, opening a Dark gateway, "For some reason, I think I would regret killing you if you got in the way." Waving his hand at the blonde Nobody, she entered the portal first.

"Wait!" Riku stretched out a hand, and tried to advance, but his knee gave way, still weakened from Kara's injuries.

Turning towards the female Gargoyle, Sora nodded at her, "Demona, I leave the rest to you. I promise I will give you what you want," and with that, he entered the gateway, leaving the world behind.

"What you want?" Xanatos asked, "Should I be worried?"

As if in response, Demona lowered a hand, raising a multitude of Heartless from the floor.

At this Goliath finally stepped forward, "My Love! You are responsible for these Heartless?"

"Don't you see, Goliath?" she smiled, her fangs exposed in a smile of delight, "By using the Heartless we can reshape the world! It will be reborn in the death of the Human as a new Gargoyle world!"

"No," he barked at her, "I have seen their brutality, the Mages! They have told me the horrors these creatures wrought. Such sorcery is of the blackest kind!" he desperately tried to plead, stepping towards her but several Heartless blocked his path.

Demona sighed, eyes lighting red, "That's funny, Goliath," her tail slapped against the stones beneath her in irritation, "I had my own Mage tell me how they would set the world right if we embraced their power!"

No sooner had Demona let out her declaration than she shrieked, doubling over in pain, black lightning crackling over her body. All eyes turned to Riku, whose arm was reached out, his hand clenching around the air, the invisible vice undoubtedly connected to the agony being inflicted on Demona. Even through the blindfold, the glow of her amber-orange eyes was evident. Goliath tried to move towards him, but Ven's hand came to block his way, uncertain if they should interfere.

"Where?" was the only word Riku muttered as he advanced on the female Gargoyle. Xanatos had seemed to decide discretion was the better part of valour, backing off to watch the display. But Demona herself could only writhe on the ground, clutching at her limbs for some small comfort from the torture. Riku's hand turned upward, and her body seemed to burn from the inside as dark wisps were drawn from her insides like smoke from a smoldering pit, "Where is he going?" Riku asked again, and dropped his hand, releasing her from the torment. "Where?"

On being free of the constant torment, Demona glowered at Riku, "I don't know, all he told me was something about a graveyard."

"The Keyblade Graveyard?" Ventus said, finally stepping forward himself.

"I don't know," Demona replied, "I only heard it in passing."

"You're lying," Riku said flatly, and the crackles of Darkness began again, Riku's hair bleaching white. "You're setting us up! Covering for him!" His voice began to quake in rage.

"I'm not!" Demona wept openly, tears in her skin opening up, dropping red blood.

"Give me something useful," Riku shouted, coldly maintaining the torture, seemingly willing to hold it indefinitely.

At that point, he felt arms wrap around him from behind, the delicate arms of Ventus, trying to restrain him, "Riku that's enough!" he shouted, burying his face into the older boy's back, "That's enough. Please, stop."

As if a switch had been set off, Riku suddenly became aware of how heavily he was breathing, of how his body quivered with rage. The sounds of the female Gargoyle crying, which until moments ago had seemed like a mocking contempt towards him, as some sort of defiance, now drew out his pity, and quickly his shame. He turned his head back to try to face Ventus, as between the judging eyes of his companion and the victim, he felt that would be the most bearable to see right now, "Ven..."

"We know where he's going. It's enough," Ventus still held Riku's arms down against his body tightly, too afraid to let go for even a moment.

"...I know," Riku said quietly.

"Please don't end up like Tera," Ventus began to cry into the back of Riku's shirt, "You can't...I can't lose anyone else..."

Riku firmly, but slowly, turned to face Ventus, putting his hands on the blonde boy's shoulders, "I'm sorry," was all he said. Casting a glance back at Demona, he repeated it, "I'm sorry," he said noticeably more subdued. Turning to face Demona, who was still recovering, Riku spoke to Goliath, "What do we do with her? We can't let her destroy this world with the Heartless..."

"I am...unsure," answered the massive Gargoyle, "Perhaps she has learned her lesson."

"I wouldn't count on that," said Xanatos, emerging from the shadows and his hiding place, "It's a long story...but I wouldn't trust her a second."

"We need to follow Sora," Riku said bitterly, "If we stay here to defend your world we'll miss our shot."

"Then leave it to us," Goliath answered. "The Wyvern Clan will consider the whole of the world our Castle, ours to defend against the Heartless."

Riku seemed uncertain, letting out a _tch_ in his frustration at the situation.

Ventus put a hand on his shoulder, "They can do it," he reassured him, though his voice was decidedly less cheery than usual. But his eyes were as sure as ever, "We have to trust our friends," he said with an air of worry.

Riku nodded, seeming to accept this truth, "Alright. We need to get to the Keyblade Graveyard."

Ven's eyes narrowed, "Not looking like that you can't," he scowled, indicating Riku's bleach-white hair and still glowing eyes, "You've used too much Darkness to make a trip right now."

"We have to save Sora!" Riku protested, though his voice wasn't very firm, as if he already knew he had lost the argument. Ven's only rebuttal to sternly shake his head "no", leaving Riku no choice but to sigh and nod, acquiescing.


End file.
